Unplanned Journey

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason looked out at the stars and saw that the planet was getting closer. It wouldn't be long until they had to strap themselves in and prepare for landing. he only hoped all the strengthening he had down on the craft was enough for them to survive. Realistically he would give them a 60% chance.

Mako came up to stand beside him drinking his 3rd cup of coffee. 'You know that stuff will stunt your growth."

"Oh ha ha very funny." It was a running joke with them. He told short jokes and Mako would kid him about his height. "So how long do you think we have/" his friend asked.

"Maybe a few hours. Three at the most. What worries me is that all I can see at the moment is blue. Oh sure blue means water which is good, but without green or brown, that means no land which is bad. We need land. I only hope there is some down there."

'You worry too much. Why don't you ask Pab. He has been sitting here all the time we have been sleeping, and with his eyesight surely if there was land he would have seen it."

Jason smiled. His friend was right. he was worrying too much but he would still check with Pab as soon as he could just to ease his mind.

 

[slippedhalo]

Samuel Freeman wasn't a big talker. When the rest were sitting around introducing themselves like it was some sort of addiction counselling meeting he'd wandered off to check on the toilet and sink in the small half bathroom attached to the bridge. Pab' s idea had Sam wondering if the plumbing was working on an independent system and he had to see how they worked to imagine how he might rig them on planet if the space pod was strong enough to survive the landing. He came out of the bathroom relieved to see the group was starting to get back to work. Good! No awkward speeches for this stammering plumber. "Ssstammering Sssamuel" had been the nickname he was mercilessly teased with as a boy at school back in South Africa. Those memories still haunted the strapping, tall, ebony man.

Pab and Samuel briefly discussed the nature of Pab' s plumbing solution and Sam explained to the robot a way to rig up his internal waste filter with the current toilet and they both believed it would be possible to maintain a dignified wc that works as long as the pod was not destroyed in the landing on the planet. He didn't know what the three women were softly chatting about and suspected he probably wouldn't want to know anyway. Pretty girls in packs were always intimidating.

Sam and Pab joined Mako and Jason just as they were fretting over the amount of water they saw on the planet. Pab interjected, "There are three small land masses. Each is not very close to the others. I calculated the one most likely to be in range when we must attempt landing, it is more forest than anything, 16kilometres long and about 10.5 kilometres wide not including the ring of beach which looks to mostly submerge at high tide...See? At that spot, there, there's a wide berth of beach to land..., go too far and we'd crash into the side of a cliff." Pointed out Pab.

Lucy looked over Mako' s shoulder, "I think I can park us there without much problem."

Pab continued, "Only one landmass has humanoids. The large one. It's not near our pod during what the Captain calls, "go time"..." Pab called up the statistical readings of the planet on a computer monitor to show everyone.

Lucy came forth to study the screen. "The natives...I hope they're friendly..."

Pab imitated a shrug, "Friendly or not, we probably won't ever actually see them. Here's where they live..." pointing to the large, horsehead shaped landmass, then he pointed to a tiny, cane shaped island he had to magnify the area to show. It was indeed almost on the opposite side of the world. "If we're lucky and land when and where we're meant to, this will be our island." Six pairs of eyes took this information in with a depth of understanding which meant a variety of different things, all of it was pretty heavy.

Monique finished her tea then announced, "If the natives are sea faring we will have to prepare to defend ourselves. They may not welcome aliens."

Pab countered, "From my observations they seem to be a pre industrial civilization. There's only five-hundred-and-forty of them. That's likely to be all of the same clan or tribe, or whatever they'd call it. They are highly likely to be descended from a species not native to the planet, like us. A few crash survivors breeds a dozen, then two dozen, then a few generations later and you're a community of over five-hundred... Their technology is still limited...and they may be sea faring but this would be a dangerous journey for ships without engines. Months at sea without respite in dangerous waters for nothing but exploration. It's possible they'd try it but not likely."

"Alright." said Monique. "I'll still make sure we're ready, there's wild animals and stuff out there too. I want to be ready for anything."

"Look at all that water!" Lia commented, her gut churning as the situation was becoming more real to her. "I hated swim class...shit. I hate the sea and choppy waves..."

Lucy could see the panic building in Lia again and put a hand on the petite woman's shoulder to try to calm her before another trembling episode could begin. "Lia, it'll be fine. You'll be ok. You're a strong woman. We'll all make do."

Lia nodded, brown eyes huge as she worked to muster up her courage. Mako looked concerned and moved closer to her. Something about him was comforting to her.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Mako had seen that Lia was getting really jumpy and he moved closer to her. He had a soft spot for the Science officer although he would never tell her. He had gradually come to admire her from afar from the second week he had been aboard ship. He had been called in to fix the nutrient flows in the hydroponics and reprogram the systems. He had seen her from across the room and had been intrigued by her looks. Then he had met her to discuss how to improve the lighting, the mix of the nutrients, how to improve temperature control in different parts of the lab and lots of other things. He had been impressed with her intelligence and with her passion for her job, but also for the way she was willing to compromise. Most people in her position thought they knew best and just wanted it done their way. She however was willing to bow to his knowledge in certain areas and as such he was more than willing to go that extra yard for her.

It was just a pity all their hard work was now going to be so much space junk. Some of the plants had been saved and he had heard Lia say she had saved a lot of the seeds but it just wasn't the same. He looked at the pretty scientist and smiled. "Don't worry Lia I am sure we will make it. We have the Captain to get us down and one of the best computer systems to guide us. I should know, I have been all through it," he chuckled. "Don't worry by tonight we will be on solid ground and laughing about how worried we were."

 

[slippedhalo]

Lia took a shaky breath and as Lucy moved to her chair to check on something she welcomed the company of Miko. "I...I don't really like all that water, Miko. I'm not a great swimmer. When I was eleven I nearly drowned once at a beach in Jamaica...I've kind of hated natural water since then. I've learned to be ok in swimming pools but, well, I don't seek out swimming experiences much. That planet is a nightmare for me. So much ocean!"

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Mako smiled at her and sat down. " I understand that feeling. I grew up in Tokyo and only went to the beach on very rare occasions. I saw it as something that was to be feared as well and never went in above my knees.Oh I could swim, my parents made sure of that and every school has swimming lessons, but as you say that was a pool. Finally it took one of my good friends to finally coax me in and get me to swim in the ocean. At first it was scary, all those waves moving me around and sometimes crashing over me, but with help and a lot of practice I got better and more confident. I bet you could too, so I tell you what. When we make it down I will teach you how to swim in the ocean if you will teach me more about plants. Is it a deal?"

 

[slippedhalo]

http://www.prettydesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Amazing-Long-Curly-Hairstyle.jpg <Lia

Lia smiled weakly at Miko. "Ok. That's a deal...now I hope we survive long enough to have free time to try such things."

The group spent the rest of the time busying themselves with inventory and making sure everything was strapped down tightly and prepared for a rough ride. Each of th crew was wearing full survival gear including their backpacks. It was suggested that they keep the colouring bright for now to spot one another more easily in case they are separated. Soon it would be time for all of them to take a seat at a station and also buckle down.

The doctor was feverish and in and out of consciousness. Pab announced the chances of Dr. Hastings making a full recovery at less than 35% once he was scanned and it appeared he had not just a bad concussion but a build up of spinal fluid and a possible blood clot travelling his body. Pab put him into a coma in the hope his body could save itself from the blood clot and inevitable resulting stroke. This news brought a huge blow to group morale. They worked much of the final hour in depressed silence.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason had seen his friend talking to Lia and silently congratulated him. Who knew it would only take the threat of imminent death for him to finally work up the courage to talk to her normally. It looked like he was doing well too. If they survived this perhaps he would have something to look forward to.

As he went about checking everything he could and buckling down what he could he looked at his fellow crew mates. There of course was the Captain and she was very good looking, but would she be more concerned with keeping them alive and focused than with having a personal relationship.

Then there was Monique. Again very easy on the eyes, but again more concerned with their survival. Still he wondered if that would always be the case. Hopefully after they had been there for awhile he may be able to pursue a relationship with one of them, otherwise it would be a very lonely life for him.

Of course they would have to survive first. He still felt silly in his bright orange survival suit but he knew the reasoning behind it and he couldn't fault it. Well soon they would know if all the repairs they had done were enough.

 

[slippedhalo]

Lucille had been checking on Dr. Hastings and helping Pab get the comatose man's stretcher strapped to the deck when the proximity alarm rang out, loud and frightening. She ordered everyone to their emergency stations. "Sit down and strap in tight, people. It's go time!" She called out, sitting in the pilot's seat and strapping in as the ship began to shudder upon entering the atmosphere of their destination, the pod' s outer shell was engulfed in flames raising the temperature of the hull and entire pod to a sweltering level within seconds.

Samuel spotted Pab not strapped down and shoved the robot into the empty Captain's chair, helping him strap in...But, not being strapped down himself, when Lucy had to quickly manoeuvre the pod around several orbiting debris big enough to tear their little pod to shreds if contact was made, the quick motions tossed the valiant and quietly shy South African man all around the pod quite violently.

As Lia was seated at the back of the pod she had a front row seat to the whole horrifying situation and starting screaming. Monique was seated beside her and yelled, "Sam's not strapped in! He's hurt! He's hurt! He's..."

Lia slapped Monique hard on the shoulder to shut her up. "He's dead, Monique."

Monique balked at Lia, "You're such a fatalist. He's not dead!"

Lia found herself annoyed at being contradicted, "He's dead, Monique. He's dead!"

"Shut up!" Monique yelled.

"You shut up!" replied Lia.

"Both of you shut up!" ordered Lucy. " If you two don't mind I'm trying to fly this camel through the eye of a needle and all the yelling AIN'T HELPING!"

Pab turned it's head around on its neck to look behind. Spotting the body flailing about the cabin Pab concluded Lia was correct. Sam's neck appeared broken. "Captain...er, um, Lucille...Samuel is dead. It is true."

Lucy's eyes were spilling tears. Sam's face wasn't the only one flashing through her memory. She was holding back a coming flood of memories, "Seventy one..." she counted them all. They were all her responsibility. Her mistakes had killed seventy-One good people. Lucy took a deep breath and wiped her tears with her shoulder, no free hands, she was piloting so precisely her knuckles were white and she was sweating..."We're almost there. Everybody hang on. Brace for impact in...ten, nine, eight, seven, six....Oh, shit!..." Once the pod hit the sand it bounced twice then skidded...the heat inside grew so intense Lucy passed out before the pod finally came to a halt, nosedived into the side of a cliff which crumbled the fore side but hadn't technically broken it.

When Lia looked around she screamed again. The macabre broken dead body of Sam had flown into them, his elbow had made painful contact with her left eye which was throbbing but his head...his head had crushed Monique' s skull.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Mako had been strapped in on the other side of the bridge from the girls with Jason just in front of him and had witnessed the whole gruesome accident. He had almost thrown up when he had seen Sam's body flailing around, bouncing off the walls with his head moving unnaturally like that. In fact at one point he had come very close to being hit himself by his body. It was only because he was so short that his legs had missed him as he had gone hurtling by. He was sure that Jason had actually been caught a glancing blow though and the way he was bent in his chair worried him.

As they hit the atmosphere he heard Lia screaming and wanted despreatly to comfort her but he had enough problems of his own just staying in his chair. It had been built for a much larger person and although he had tightened it as much as he could it was starting to slip. He grabbed the sides of the chair and hung on tight.

As they landed he almost fell out of his chair and it took him a minute to get out of it. He heard Lia screaming and saw that both Jason and Lucy were out of it. He didn't know if they were alive or dead but he knew Lia was. he scrambled back to her and discovered why she was screaming. Sam's body had flown into Monique and crushed her skull killing her instantly. He grabbed Lia by the shoulders and shook her gently.
"Lia calm down, it's okay, we are okay. Just calm down and I will get you out of here."

He unstrapped her and turned her away from the grizzly sight. "C'mon we have to get out of here. It is heating up and I'm not sure why. Let's check Lucy and Jason and unstrap Pab and get out."

 

[slippedhalo]

Lia whimpered her comprehension and was grateful they were finally still. Mako unstrapped her and helped her out of the seat, keeping her from looking at the gory scene to her immediate left.

Pab came out of the seat it had been in and was in the process of unstrapping Lucy from the pilot's seat, flipping her onto its back, and carrying her to lay her on the stretcher beside the inert and comatose doctor, then returned to Jason, lay Jason on Pab' s back, and Pab carried Jason out while dragging the hover stretcher along. Pab was the one who issued the order for Mako and Lia to grab as much gear as possible and get out of the pod.

The beach is where they found themselves. Lia stared at her bloody crewmates deposited on the sand like lost luggage and watched in shock as the tide rolled in and Pab ran back in to gather more gear and get fire suppression fluid to spray the burning outer hull.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Mako was a little dizzy but he could see that Lia was in shock. He led her over to the stretchers and sat her down. "Okay I want you to keep an eye on all of them for me. Just make sure that they keep breathing and don't roll over and suffocate themselves. I have to go help Pab save as much stuff as we can."

He watched her nod then made his way back to the craft. It actually didn't look that bad. A few dents and a couple of gashes but all in all relatively intact. Lucy had down a remarkable job. Oh it would never fly again but as long as they could cool it down they could still use everything aboard.

He dashed back in and began to gather up all the loose bags he could find and just threw them out the door. Next he threw out more extinguishers for Pab and then began looking for tools and anything else he thought might be useful. Occasionally he had to retreat outside as the heat got to intense for him, but then he just picked up what he had thrown and marched it up to the edge of the jungle.

In 15 minutes Pab had extinguished the small fires that had started and Mako had gathered all that he thought was useful. The tide had started to lap at the back of the pod and so Mako and Pab decided it would be best to find a place for them to camp and take care of their injured. He approached Lia hoping that she had gotten over her initial shock and was back to her usual self.

 

[slippedhalo]

Lia, again, nodded mutely. At first she watched everything happening around her with a dull sense of disbelief, then it occurred to her to check on the people lying beside her. Lucy had sat up with a start, coughing, gasping, then she rolled into the sand and remained on her hands and knees for a minute, just slowly trying to take in her surroundings and piece it all together with her last conscious memories...Lia moved to kneel beside her, rubbing Lucy's back, softly explaining what she knew.

Lucy turned her head to look Lia in the eyes, her sky blue gaze questioning and slightly fearful, "Who's still with us?" She had to know. Seventy-One was the last tally of her conscience' s load.

Lia pointed at Jason breathing deeply as he lie looking like he was in a nightmare' s grip, still unconscious, on his back near them. Dr. Dennis was there too but he looked pale now. His lips and eyelids were tinged with blue. "Miko is getting stuff from inside, and PAB is okay."

Lucy sat and looked around again, "That's it, then? 5 humans and a robot."

Lia nodded and saw the tide drawing nearer. "We shouldn't stay on the beach much longer. It looks like high tide is coming."

With an assertive blink Lucy's demeanour changed right before Lia' s eyes from frightened girl to woman in command. Social mask back on, the Captain stood, brushing sand from her purple uniform, and reached to help Lia up. "Help me pull these two toward those trees up there, see where it inclines? We can use that as a ramp and...Oh, I see Miko and Pab already got most of our things up there too. Excellent! Let's move."

Lia helped Lucy roll Jason onto the hover stretcher beside the Doctor. Hastings looked dead to her but Lia couldn't face that just yet. She'd had too much death literally in her face as of late. She'd rather the status of Hastibg be determined later by someone else. They pulled and pushed the stretcher up toward the area where the gear waited for them. Miko and PAB were not far behind.

Lucy turned, hands on hips, and regarded the clearing near the edge of jungle and cliff. "What do you think? Is this a good spot to set up for now?" She asked as PAB was bent over Jason, helping him to revive. PAB looked saddened at its observations of the Doctor, unwrapped the form of Dennis Hastings from the stretcher, removed his outer uniform and pack, wrapped him in a sheet, then carried him to the beach, laying the bundle atop the craft, safe from the tide but far from camp until a decision could be made about what the group would do with bodies of dead. Lucy noticed for the first time a more nondescript bundle and another human shaped bundle both already there beside the doctor's body. She sighed sadly and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I see...that the Doctor, Monique, and Samuel didn't make it. Shall we take a moment of silence for them before we get down to business?"

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason was back on his feet thanks to PAB. He still felt a little groggy but he was able to stand with the rest of them as the looked out at the ship and the three bodies stacked on top of it. He wished them a speedy voyage to wherever they were off to now and then looked around at their new home.

First he checked out the beach. He was impressed. Beautiful white sand as far as he could see and it was not too grainy under his feet. It reminded him of the beaches back home and if the waves were any good he was definitely carving himself a surfboard as soon as he could. What bothered him though was the high tide mark. It came in pretty high. It would almost reach the front of the ship so he was thinking it would not be a good idea to stay on it tonight until they saw whether or not it survived it's first night. Hopefully it's weight would allow it to without too many problems, and the water should cool down the hull.

The jungle was okay on the fringes here but further back looked pretty dense. It would be a hard trek through that especially carrying all the spare gear. Looking down the beach though he saw a great sight. A small stream trickled out and into the sea. It wasn't much but he would bet anything it led back to a stream and then a river. If the followed that they would have fresh water and it should make traveling easier.

Looking above the trees he spotted some tall hills in the distance. He wouldn't call them mountains because he could see them further inland, but these hills could have some caves or at least somewhere he could build a decent shelter and they weren't that far away. "Excuse me Captain. I would not recommend camping here tonight, it is too exposed. I say we hike to those hills, Hopefully there are caves or a nice place to set up camp. There is a small stream we can follow that I believe will take us there and if nothing else that will solve our water supply problem as well. The hills are only a couple of miles distant so if we do find a nice place tomorrow we can cut a path back to the ship to make it easier to travel back and forth to it."

 

[slippedhalo]

PAB scanned the area with his superior eyesight and filtered out the dense foliage and underbrush of the jungle to focus on waters and the shimmer of them..."There is a waterfall over an opening in the direction of the first hill. The hill has many hollow areas, caverns and caves, I think they span most of the island." He declared.

Lucy nodded, "Good, then, let's use the hover stretcher as a wheelbarrow to bring our gear that way."

They walked for nearly an hour following the river to the falls and saw the mouths of two caves in the hill. Pab said they both met up about half a mile inside the hill range so whichever they chose to explore first or last wouldn't matter too much.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason and Mako looked at each other. They had never bragged about it but they did know how to handle themselves in a fight. Mako had learned the traditional Japanese martial arts of Judo and Kendo. He was very proficiant in oth of them and had taught Jason some of his moves.

Jason on the other hand had learned Tae kwon do, Boxing, wrestling and Muay thai. He had been training to be a mixed martial arts fighter at one stage before he found a new love in construction.

They knew they should take the lead but they didn't want to look like they were taking over from the ladies especially seeing as how Lia was probably the best person to tell if anything had been living in these caves recently. Sure she dealt with plants but she was normally in the wild so surely she knew something about tracking.

"I suggest we take one cave at a time Captain. Guess it doesn't really matter which. Mako and I can take one of the rifles each and stay on the walls, one each side, while you,Lia and PAB stay in the middle and look for signs of recent habitation from any animals. I suggest you carry the light source and small arms. PAB can scan the way ahead and alert us to anything living coming but it is always good to be prepared," he smiled.

"We can do a full circuit and come out the other entrance to see how good they are. If they are suitable for our needs I should be able to start building within the week and have something up very soon after that. For now though we are going to have to live in our tents. Sorry about that."

 

[slippedhalo]

Lucy agreed with Jason so they followed his suggested formation, careful not to slip on the rocks leading upward toward the opening on the left side first, it looked the easiest to climb. Slipping would mean a ride down the falls, likely somewhat harmless, but not wanted at the moment. The cave was pitch black beyond the initial few feet and Lucy turned on the lamp.

It looked like any cave they'd ever seen or imagined with nooks, crannies, some leaking bits dripping water and perhaps calcium because some of the drips landed on rising stalagmites and fell from stalagtites. The sound of the falls behind them was a soothing background as they ventured deeper into the cave which rose for a while, then descended quite a bit, levelling at a place which branched off; One cavern was almost totally filled with some small pool full of water so clear they could see right to the bottom. It was about ten feet in diameter and looked to have a few plants but no animals. The other tunnel started back up again and twisted to the right...That's where they heard a grumbling noise sounding a lot like a large beast asleep in the darkness of the second cave area...

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Mako

Mako heard the noise and signaled for them all to stop. From his pack he took out a flashlight and some tape and looked over at Jason showing him what he was doing. He attached the flashlight to the barrel of the rifle with the tape then made sure it was very secure. He twisted the gun in every way possible and moved it around quickly but it didn't move. Satisfied he turned on the light and pointed it ahead. It illuminated a fair amount of the cave but not nearly as much as the large lamp did, however it would be enough for what they needed. He had only a moment to wait and then Jason's light joined his and the darkness lit up even more. He looked over and Jason gave him the thumbs up and they moved forward together.

JASON

Jason had waited at his friends signal at looked across at him. He was the better fighter and tactician having passed his required ground fighting, and gun handling courses with flying colors. He however although good was a follower not a leader. He saw what Mako was doing with his flashlight quickly though and grinned. Simple yet highly effective. He had his in place quickly and soon it was illuminating the cave ahead. As they set off he gave a little wave to the girls and then concentrated on the way ahead.
They moved up to the bend he on the outside and Mako on the inside. He kept his light pointed low so as not to alert whatever was making the noise of his presence. Finally they were both in place and on Mako's signal he snapped his light up and illuminated the cavern showing what was in there. His eyes widened and he gulped a little. Just what sort of world had they landed on?


MAKO

Mako had slowly counted to five then had given the signal. Turning the corner his light had played over the cavern finally coming to rest on the creature. He had frozen for a second and just stared. That couldn't be what he thought it was right. He looked over at Jason and saw the pale face as he too fought to keep from panicking. In front of them slept what appeared to be a small dragon. A bright blue, four legged, winged, spiny backed honest to god dragon. He motioned for Jason to retreat and once around the corner they made their way back to the girls. "Captain we have a problem. That sound you hear is a sleeping Dragon. No I am not kidding, it is the closest description I can come up with. I think our weapons will be able to kill it but I don't know if it is a fully grown adult or a juvenile. I would hate to think it is only young though, it is already huge. The cavern is littered with bones so it is definitely it's lair so if we want to stay here we are going to have to kill it. Two good things though. One it means there is other prey on this island and two we will have a diet of meat for awhile if it proves edible."
Jason then piped up. "You forgot that it also means this area will be pretty safe. That thing would have scared or eaten anything big that entered it's territory."
"Good point. I would recommend we take it out, but it is still your call Captain."

 

[slippedhalo]

Lucy nodded, "Under different circumstances I would've loved studying it and learning how intelligent it is but, well, I agree. We need this island and it must be made safe for us. I think we owe it a sort of honor afterward, a thanks...But, there isn't enough room here for humans and dragons both. We'll have to kill it." She said, noting the scowl of disapproval from Lia. "Sorry, Lia."

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Mako

Mako could see just how disappointed Lia was about their plan. The truth was he was not all that excited about it himself even though he was the one suggesting it. Here they were discovering a new species and their first thought was to kill it. Of course they were thinking with their hearts on this one. Who was to say it was anything like the mythical beasts written about in the old legends of Earths past. Surely if this thing was intelligent it would have done something to improve it's home. Still he supposed they should give it a chance to prove it was not just a non thinking beast.

"Okay, we may be able to do both. If PAB and I double back and approach it from the other entrance, then Jason can position himself for a clear shot at it's head from behind in here. We have two ways and PAB can easily adjust his receptors to match the frequency so we can stay in touch. Once we are in position PAB and I will make some loud noises to attract the beasts attention and then try to communicate with it. If it attacks straight off we kill it. If it tries to communicate we try to live with it. Imagine having that as a friend."

He looked at the Captain for her approval for this plan. "Of course if you think this is too dangerous or risky we can just go back to the original plan and Jason and I will go and dispatch it as quickly and painlessly as possible with PAB's help."

 

[slippedhalo]

Lia appealed to Lucy for mercy, "Please, Lucy, what if this dragon has the ability to travel to other islands, maybe even reaching the continent? If it's even as tame as a wolf it could be trained...like early humans did with dogs...think of the potential in lightening our work load, increasing our range of travel...This dragon, or one like it could help our future children or grandchildren find their future spouses and families."

Lucy saw very clearly what Lia meant but she wasn't focused on a future generation at this moment. They had to first survive the immediate future. Besides...this would mean accepting way too quickly some harsh realities she wasn't ready to quite wrap her mind around yet, one being that there would be human children born here, from them. Her heart rate sped up and breath caught in her throat. Literally, she had only two options, maybe just one. Just a year ago she could recall having been torn between fiance, George, the exciting new neighbor, Julia, and her handsome live in boyfriend, Simon. Back then some indiscretions had led to her realizing she might not be the settle down and marry sort. She'd broken George's heart and it had hurt her too. The void left in her life after he'd left it, too hurt to accept being just friends, had wounded Lucy deeply and had soured anything she might have been curious to try between Simon and Julia...Lucy had thrown herself into her work for good reason. She was better off not connecting with others too closely until she knew what she wanted. Now, here she was and it seemed more than likely she'd eventually find herself close to one or all of these three people. Survival depended upon it. Life seemed to be making important decisions without her input. Who was she kidding? Lia and Mako already seemed to be flirting between themselves. They'd eventually get together, so that left her with Jason...and as she considered what she thought about getting closer with him a deep blush crept over her face. He was very good looking in an approachable sort of way, he was fairly easy to talk to, seemed like an all around good guy. She could definitely do worse. But, this decision based on Lia' s argument was pushing Lucy too far, too quickly. She turned from them shaking her head, overwhelmed. "Just...give me a minute to think." She said.

...They all waited in silence, watching her expectantly. Turning back toward them she sighed, "Alright, we'll try. I don't want to kill anything I don't have to. I mean, I've got to live with...73..." George's heartbroken face flashed through Lucille's memory for a moment, interrupting the death toll, to be honest, all those losses felt like deaths to her now. She blinked back tears, "My conscience is quite full right now as it is."

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason watched quietly as first Mako and then Lia put their cases to Lucy. He didn't really have a preference at the moment but he thought it a bit harsh to put old earth fairy tales ahead of surviving. However he did see the benefits of having something like that on their side if at all possible. They would be protected from predators and if they could train it to hunt for them they would be freed up to focus on building up their colony here. However trying to communicate with it was going to be bloody problematic. Not only was it a different species, it was also an alien species. Even if it was intelligent it could talk to them and they would never know it just because it was talking a different language.

Still he was willing to try it if that was what the Captain wanted, but he was also willing to go up to the corner a burn a hole through it's brain while it slept. That would be the safer option and while it may not have long running advantages it sure helped them out big time in the short term and would make him feel a whole lot safer.

He waited while Lucy began to think and then mentally shook himself at Lia's words. 'Future children or Grandchildren'. Whoa where had that thought come from? Sure he had seen the way Mako looked at her and in fact he knew how Mako felt about her but what did she mean by future grandchildren? Did she really think that they would be here for that long and that they would just automatically breed with each other? What because she was with Mako he had to go with Lucy.Admittedly Lucy was a very beautiful woman and he would have tried to ask her out under different circumstances, but here it was like they were being forced together and being told 'Oh you two are now going to have to settle down together and breed for the sake of the survival of the race.'

It was not the sort of pressure that he liked or that was real good for bringing two people together. He watched as Lucy walked away to think about her decision and saw the pain she seemed to be in. He wondered what the problem was. The decision wasn't all that hard, kill it or don't. However when she gave them her reasoning he worked out why. "Alright, we'll try. I don't want to kill anything I don't have to. I mean, I've got to live with...73..." Jason saw that she was taking all the blame for the deaths of every member of the crew on herself. It was stupid of her of course but also something a good captain would do. He shook his head though. He knew it was not her fault. Something had gone wrong with the engines and it had resulted in the accident, he had been there with Mako when it had happened and he had watched it all unfold. Mako had first spotted it and had quickly shut off all power to the engines. If he hadn't no one would be alive right now. As it was they had been flung way off course and the ship badly damaged as it was ripped from Hyper space. In all the confusion and panic that followed one word still echoed in his mind, one word uttered by his friend as he frantically worked at his station. "Sabotage."

 

[slippedhalo]

Lucy shrugged, "There's five of us. I'm declaring democracy right now. We vote. Show of hands, kill it?"

Lia didn't raise her hand. She shook her head, her black eye from Sam's elbowing throbbed harder when she did that and made her wince in pain.

Pab raised a seven fingered hand, "I cannot theorize on possible outcomes. I must think of our safety right here and now. We should not take chances."

Lucy then looked at the two men to get their votes.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Mako looked at both of the women and then shook his head. "Sorry Lucy but I think it is worth the effort to try to capture or communicate with the beast first. We can always have our back up plan in place but we should always try to get along with the things we find first."

Jason looked on and shrugged. "Sorry Lucy but I really don't have a preference. I will vote how you vote. I can see the good and bad in both propositions. If the Dragon turns out to be intelligent we will gain a powerful ally and even if it is not and we can train it we will still have done a great thing. However if it turns out it is too strong for us or a brute then we should kill it now while it sleeps. It is a matter of putting our heads before our hearts though. Unfortunately that is the Captains decision and that is you."

 

[slippedhalo]

Lucy couldn't meet the look in Lia' s eyes as she sighed a defeated, weary sounding sigh and said, "I think letting it live could be a mistake. We're all beaten up, exhausted, and we still have to set up camp and sort out our supplies, find a way to sustain ourselves and you want to waste our limited energy on the pipe dream of training a dragon?"

Lia' s reply was soft but confident. "Yes. And, if it's a mistake I'll kill it myself. Just let me try, please."

Lucy looked up and watched each of their expressions in the dimly lit cave. When her eyes fell on Miko she detected a barely perceptible nod. He'd support Lia' s idea. And, Jason was Miko' s friend. Jason would help them if they needed it, and Pab would follow orders regardless of its opinion as long as lives are not directly at stake. They were being nice in letting her believe she was making the choice but the truth was, she'd be resented if she didn't let this idea of Lia' s attempt to take shape. She needed their allegiance as much as their survival. Lucy shook her head, "I think it's a mistake we'll regret but, as I said, I hate unnecessary death and killing...Lia and Miko, you're primarily responsible for this dragon's upkeep and if its behaviour cannot be controlled or if it seems dangerous you must destroy it without hesitation. It's your responsibility."

But, soon the decision would be out of all of their hands. The snoring had stopped. They were being watched from the cavern opening by a towering, blue, beast with intelligent looking violet eyes glowing in the dark. It sniffed the air then grunted. It then let out a throaty murmur which shook the ground beneath their feet and rattled the cave walls even as they stood meeting its gaze, nobody sure what to do next. Lucy swallowed hard, her eyes wide. "Uh...hi." She managed, glad to see Jason's weapon was subtly trained in the dragon's direction.

Lia bravely or stupidly moved forward, toward the dragon, hand forward and palm up, like offering an introductory sniff to a strange dog in greeting. "Hi, sorry we woke you." She said, feeling silly, especially with an audience.

The dragon bent its long, gracefully powerful neck and touched Lia's hand with its snout...Lucy wondered if Lia would be dismembered by the beast now...But it only sniffed, like a dog or a horse might. Then the cavern shook again as the throat vibrations continued until it mimicked, "......hhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii...hi, hi, hi...rrrrr...gggg...hi...-oke ooo?"

Lia grinned, "Oh my God! I think it's trying to mimic our speech!"

The dragon got down onto its belly and looked at Lia more closely, sniffing her all over, flicking out a purple tongue to taste her curly hair then spitting it back out with a huff that nearly knocked her down. Still, it didn't hurt her. It seemed curious but not threatened."

"Maybe this is a young one. It seems...childish somehow." observed Lucy in a whisper. Still, she dare not move just yet, not with Lia basically in its clutches as she stood in its face between its gigantic, outstretched, clawed front feet. So far, it was at least neutral, not acting threatening, just curious about these visitors to its napping place.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Mako was beside himself with worry. He had watched as Lia hadn't even hesitated but had walked straight up to the beast and started to treat it like a big dog. He didn't know whether to be proud of her or angry at her. Still it looked like the thing was responding to her and not trying to eat her which was a good thing. Still he had subtlety moved his rifle up and was keeping a close eye on it's every move.

He moved slowly to the side so he would have a better shot at it's head and also so he could see exactly what was going on between Lia and the 'Dragon'. It looked like she was talking to it and it was listening and mimicing what it heard. He just hoped it was intelligent enough to understand what it was saying and it was not just a big parrot. However looking at it he sort of believed that it was learning. It had that gleam of intelligence in it's eyes and it seemed very curious about them all as it looked at them occasionally but returned to Lia as soon as she spoke again. His one big worry was what Lucy had said. If this was the child, where was it's parent's?

Jason

Jason had moved his weapon up to cover the beast as soon as he became aware of it. It was pointed directly at it's head and he was in a great position to take it out. He had already positioned himself to sneak up on it and take the shot if Lucy had given the order so when Lia walked up to it she didn't spoil his shot in the slightest. He looked over at her and got a slight head shake so he waited. He smiled a little, guess that vote was null and void now.

He kept a close eye on what went on between Lia and the Dragon but also what Mako and Lucy did. Mako had moved to a good shooting position as well and had moved his rifle into a shooting position. Lucy had been observing but he saw her gun in her hand and because it was only a handgun she could have it into a firing position in a second.

He wondered what they would do if they were able to communicate with the beast. Were they supposed to live next door to it, ask it to move or learn about this island and world from it? Would they treat it as a big pet or another member of their little band and as he thought about it he thought of something else. It appeared to be a child. Was this it striking out on it's own, or was this the lair of it and it's parents, and if so where were they? Thinking of that sent a chill down his spine. He just hoped Lia found a way to communicate with it and found that out before they found it out the hard way.