Rude Abductions
Posted on Tue Feb 27th, 2024 @ 5:24am by Captain Luka Mahone & Lieutenant Commander Sofia Nikedoros & Caithlin t'Leiya
1,018 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Crossed Wires
Timeline: MD 01: Midday
It was a pleasant day and despite heading toward a meeting that would likely involve unpleasant topics, Sofia found herself enjoying the walk with Caithlin toward the small office in the colony 'downtown' area that the attorney kept for the private practice she had in addition to her work for Bray. She took a moment to send a quiet prayer of gratitude for the beauty of the day. "It's almost a shame to meet inside when it's so nice out," she mused aloud.
"We could remain outside. Though we would be limited to my wrist projector's size for reviewing any files, and would need to keep walking, further from the center of town." Caithlin shrugged her eyebrows up and down: If you did not have a secure space for a conversation, a walk outside - provided one kept moving and there were not too many others near you - was a better substitute than many others. "Though I will point out I have coffee and tea at the office."
"Tea would be welcome," Sofia agreed, continuing on the path toward town.
The pair of beady eyes were the only thing that gave away the greenish brown colored alien's presence as it blended in with the nearby tree. That, and the odd, four-legged creature that stared up at it. But there it stood, all seven and some odd feet of it, arms up in the air as if trying to mimic branches in the tree as it stared at the pair of humanoids on their walk. Every so often it would gently push the four-legged furry creature away with one of its large toes, but managed to stay perfectly still otherwise. Few seemed to notice, and even fewer still said a damn word. But a planet that held defenses such as this one was hostile, and needed to be examined closely.
If nothing else, the sounds that erupted from the alien were what would have given it away. A small dog had decided that the creature stood just still enough to be relieved upon. A screech of what could be described as either pure terror or a warp core nearing implosion echoed off into the Xaeprean atmosphere, followed closely behind by the terrified yips of a dog turning tail and running.
The alien was left shaking its leg, before looking up and about at the realization its cover had been blown.
Sofia's head snapped around at the sounds in time to see the dog running from a 'tree' that was kicking at it while making noises that seemed to indicate extreme distress. The thought 'this is new' crossed her mind, followed closely by an awareness that they hadn't catalogued but a tiny fraction of Haumea's life forms. A screaming shaking tree was something the survey mission should have caught. Then again, if it was a sentient plant, like a Phylosian, it might have been hiding from strange new animals. Like both people and dogs.
Trained in First Contact and to respond to distress, she lifted her hands peaceably and moved calmly and slowly toward it, speaking in clear but soothing tones. "We mean you no harm. The dog was confused. If you're hurt, I'll try to help."
Caithlin meanwhile did not move towards it; in fact she moved subtly away from it, angling herself as best she could to make it more difficult for anyone to approach behind her and spotting possible cover nearby if need be. One hand moved into position to draw a concealed weapon, but in marked contrast to the immediacy with which her nieces had reacted in the caverns, the middle-aged lawyer didn't yet complete the draw, and instead just...waited and watched.
Beady eyes widening, the alien opened its mouth to speak, but all that came out was a garble of sounds, syllables, and clicks all mushed together. Then it pointed a clawed finger at the pair of women walking down the path, shrieking in the same clicking and sounds.
Sofia halted, hands still lifted and open. Clearly the universal translator was struggling with plant dialect, but the being seemed distressed. Whether it was upset and trying to tell them to keep back off, or ranting and pointing in accusation over the dog's affront to it, or trying to convey something else entirely, she wasn't sure. "I cannot understand you, and I imagine you also cannot understand me." The words mattered less than tone, the evidence of trying to communicate, and an attitude conveying good will. God willing, though eventually the UT would kick in. She tapped her comm badge lightly. "Nikedoros to Command," she said speaking softly. "We seem to have a First Contact -"
It was a thought she was not allowed to finished, as another, similarly sized and shaped alien came out from another of the nearby bushes, and while was clumsy about it, went to grab at the counselor. The first alien came barreling over, and in a flurry of clicking and shrieks between the two, the familiar shimmer of a teleporter beam began to surround the trio. At some point, the UT did indeed find itself translating at least something, and the words screamed by the first alien began to form. "This one! This one! We need this one!" it seemed to state.
Caithlin immediately completed drawing her blade and dove for the alien who'd grabbed Sofia - began to as it had appeared and advanced in fact - but she'd let the woman get too far away from her when Nikedoros had stepped a bit towards the first alien.
With a rather eventful pop!, the two aliens and Sofia vanished from Haumea's soil, and Caithlin's strike connected with empty air. There was no time to give into the shock and anger over that, though; she immediately backpedaled from the spot and got her back against a tree after checking its surroundings, stowed the knife in favor of a phaser, then slapped her own comms system on her wrist to call the colony command post back herself and sound the alarm.
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