A Monster from the Id Part I
Posted on Tue Sep 19th, 2023 @ 10:27am by Major Cornelius Tremble & Lieutenant JG Mira Jayna
Edited on on Wed Sep 20th, 2023 @ 9:52pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 14 - The Poseidon Adventure
Location: Bottom of the Ocean Planet Aquil
Timeline: MD010 1400 hrs.
The sea bed outside the mouth of the large cavern was layered with rocks, sand and the remains of whatever decomposed or been carried there by the currents. Patches of kelp and other vegetation grew in clumps, although some one had created a garden around the entrance with stone statuary. It was harsh and yet beautiful at the same time.
An area designated for shuttles sat a short distance away. Small signs indicated the direction to the kelp beds a klick to the south and the city three klicks the to the west.
Neil shrugged into this body sleeve, nearly tripping as he became overly distracted watching Jayna get into hers. The sleeves were form fitting and her form was distracting. "You know. We could just stay naked," he said with a grin on his face, trying to break the tension he recognized in her shoulders. The shuttle was a bit cramped and they'd been bumping into one another off and on during the descent.
"There are some places I'd rather a fish not bite. And you would be an enticing lure," she replied cheekily, deliberately misunderstanding him. She took advantage of the opportunity to watch him get into his sleeve. "You know, I think I may need to help you out of that when we get back...just to make sure everything is still in working order."
"I likely will need help," Neil admitted with a leer, pointedly looking her over from heel to crown. "Maybe we should plan on helping each other. Kinda fits with the day too."
"It does indeed." She grinned, momentarily distracted by the direction of her thoughts--as he no doubt intended. She finished dressing and turned to watch Neil so she wouldn't think too much about the trip ahead. She had to admit, at least to herself, that he was a good distraction.
Neil cracked his neck, then slid the hood of his suit up and felt the edges seal against his skin. He double checked the readout on the suits sleeve and saw all green lights. "Right. My gill-suit is all green. We should be good for an eight hour dive at these depths, it'll trap our heat in and the rebreather will function with the oxygen extraction gills. So, we should be fine until something really big shows up to eat us."
"Let's hope it read the directional signs. I don't particularly want to be sushi today." She finished checking over her own suit and nodded her readiness when the lights showed green as well. "Today, I'm hunting a monster from the id." It was easier said than done as she took several deep breaths to calm the trepidation doing a slow tango in her stomach.
Neil stepped to her and laid a hand on her shoulder, causing her to meet his eyes. "There are always demons. Most people talk about living each day to its fullest but Marines need to live each heartbeat. And take time to live in between those heartbeats. This is going to be a sensory deprivation exercise with you and your thoughts existing in between those beats. Remember I'm probably closer than you realize. There's nothing you have to go through alone."
Jayna had been facing demons her entire life. As a child, she had her sister, but since joining Starfleet, she'd faced them mostly alone. But this one was different. She met his gaze for a long moment, taking strength from him. She cupped his cheek with one hand, her eyes softening to a warm glow. "I know, and I'm grateful. I don't think I could do this without you."
"Sure you could," he reassured her, his left hand sliding over her hip to the small of her back. "You just don't need to go it alone anymore. He leaned closer, staring into her eyes and then smiled and his eyes lit. "But, talking isn't doing and I'm not going to let you stew. You ready?"
She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, his words giving her a final boost of courage. "Ready." Her hand caressed his cheek as she stepped back to get the rest of her gear.
They'd been directed to a remote, off-worlder approved area: namely a bowl shaped canyon that rose from the sea nearly forty meters at its highest point. On the southern side, the shuttle had submerged and parked on a landing grid that had been constructed to preserve and protect local aquaculture.
Neil got them standing face to face near the shuttle's hatch and initiated the forcefield that would protect the rest of the cabin. When the boards came up green, water began to surround them and the hatch opened when the pressure equalized.
They emerged from the shuttle and found the dimly glowing beacons that led them into the cavern complex they were going to explore. As they neared the entrance, Neil kicked sideways, checked his buoyancy compensator and said, "Everything looks good. Do you want to lead the way and I'll follow?"
He glanced around at the crystal clear blue green water and the white sand and multicolored rock that made up the area, taking in what looked to be starfish and some type of octopus. Satisfied that no one was lurking, he turned to face Jayna and adjusted his goggles.
Jayna watched the octopus, glad the tentacles didn't look quite the same as the ones in the facility. She shivered and turned to Neil. "Yeah. I'll go in first."
It took her several seconds to move. She wanted to take Neil's hand and let him lead her, but she had to do this with him as backup. She closed her eyes, took several deep breaths, and began to follow the beacons to the cave entrance.
It was Jayna's imagination that thought the mouth of the cave looked far too much like a creature ready to swallow them as they entered. She hesitated for a moment, then moved forward. The interior of the cavern was lit, but beyond that, the tunnels were dark. "Any suggestion on where to go now?"
"Nope," Neil responded, keeping humor in his voice. "This is a choose your own adventure, Jayna. The guide did say all openings lead somewhere and none will dead end you. It's not a full maze but more of an experience. Their words, not mine. I didn't cheat this time so not sure what's where."
She turned a full circle, looking around. The cave was large enough to park several shuttles. The rocks around the perimeter could easily hide a variety of creatures--although with the number of humanoid visitors, she doubted if any would take up permanent residence. "Well, that's...encouraging?" The tone in her voice was light, appreciating the humor in the advertising. She'd mentally placed all the entrances from here and now had to choose one. "As long as we have enough oxygen and a way out, let's see where...that one leads." She picked a smaller tunnel in the back that looked more interesting. Neil was beside her and she was determined to try not to lose her focus. If she could, this would be amazing.
"Don't worry about the air," Neil intoned, mimicking a holo-guide. "There are places with air pockets in supposedly every pathway you can chose with auto illumination on voice command. The chambers have surprises of one sort or another for your enjoyment."
"Enjoyment...yes." She wanted to enjoy this. She knew better than to let Kavicus keep haunting her. He was gone and she needed to leave him in the past. She would focus on the entertainment, the experience, and make the most of this experience. She had Neil beside her and nothing was going to go wrong. She had to tell herself that twice--and remind herself there were escape pockets with breathable air--before she was able to move forward into the tunnel.
Even with the water muffling sound around her, Jayna felt the difference when they went from the large cavern to the smaller side tunnel. She focused on that and on what she could see in her headlight.
Neil kept pace, practicing tradecraft despite himself: he kept his movements economical and tried to be the water, moving along approximately four meters behind Jayna. It had been years since he'd taken the Corp's Swimmers course, but he remembered most of it.
His muscles didn't, though and he recognized that he was using some muscles more than he normally did. He'd be tired by the end of the swim.
They dropped into a deeper pool, then made their way through a narrowing tunnel that opened into a grotto. A motion sensor picked up their arrival and a light source below the water flashed and went out. Their eyes, which had become adjusted, screwed up their night vision and the chamber seemed darker. Then slowly, one by one hieroglyphics on the walls began to draw themselves, showing various scenes from what Neil took to be the planets history.
The hieroglyphics were incredible. Jayna watched them in fascination as the hieroglyphics changed into more advanced pictographs. When it ended, she continued down the tunnel. It was nice that she didn't have to climb through them, but she'd likely be sore nonetheless when they got back.
The tunnel turned upward while a smaller branch continued forward. Jayna hesitated for a moment, looking from one to the other. There was no correct path here, but she was still curious about both. In the end she chose to go up.
Small luminescent grottoes opened on either side as she swam, revealing pockets with glowing crystals and bio-luminescent fungi. She paused several times to get a good look, then continued up the tunnel.
She moved around an outcropping of rock and saw that the tunnel opened into a larger cavern. But as she approached the opening, a tendril of something brushed against her face and she screamed, her mind immediately flashing back to the research facility.
Neil saw the bio signature spike on his vambrace and his comm's cut out as Jayna's scream broke the decibel limit. He heard it click back in almost immediately as he kicked in his light amplification goggles to make sure nothing was actually attacking her.
A part of him was tempted to grab her by an ankle and start hauling her around until her fight or flight kicked in, but he restrained himself. Instead, he moved in behind her, keeping distance and said over the comms, "Jayna. Easy you're in the clear. Nothing is attacking you. Focus on getting your breathing under control and nothing else."
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Junior Grade Mira Jayna
Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer, USS Pioneer
Intelligence Liaison, The Cure
Major Cornelius Tremble
Executive Officer, USS Pioneer
Commanding Officer, The Cure
RSS Feed