Survival 101
Posted on Sat Sep 24th, 2022 @ 3:27am by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Lieutenant Commander Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell & Patin
Mission:
*CD*
Location: Holodeck
Timeline: Current
Invigorated by her chat with the shrink, Aurora, Patin had marched her way down the corridor with no clear direction. Instead she knew what she needed to do, just not how to go about doing it. As she walked she eyed a pair of crew members walking her direction. “Hey. Excuse me.” She said directly. “Mind telling me where I can go to practice various survival tactics and things?”
“Um,” Said the intimidated crewman, “I am not sure what you mean by survival tactics, but the best place I can think of is the holodeck.” He said enthusiastically.
“Holodeck, you say? Mind showing me where to find this magical place?” She asked, grabbing him and his partner by the arms and leading them into the same direction she was traveling. She was insistent if not persistent, having no issue with the fact she was pulling them from their respective duties.
Along the way she had managed to somehow gather another six crew members, wrangling them into her impromptu training session. Once the doors parted and one of the crewmen had loaded a survival course, she paired them all up and began with the basics. How to light a fire with no tools.
Half an hour later a yeoman stumbled onto the bridge, muddling under his breath. He was carrying too many PADDs for his own good and muttering under his breath about people not showing up for their duty shifts.
“ Problems?” The Captain asked as the Yeoman continued to mutter under his breath, adding the odd expletive just in case anyone was listening - which of course they were.
“Oh, uh, sorry Captain.” He said as he tried to set the PADDs down on the non-flat surface. “It’s just that several people failed to show up for their duty shifts, so I had to gather multiple departments worth of data.”
“ Several people? So more than usual?” Rhenora enquired, regarding him with an inquisitive look. She glanced at the console to her left, noting there were no influx of patients in sickbay, or any kind of other logical reason such a number had failed to turn up for their shift.
“Captain, not to interrupt, but there is a fire detection sensor going off in Holodeck two. I’ve dispatched a suppression team, but you should know the last person to log into the holodeck was a Civilian named Patin.”
“ A fire? As in a real fire, not a holographic one of course?” She put two and two together and figured Patin must be up to something. The ex-resistance fighter would know nothing of holographic systems or fire protocols, she was obviously trying to fit in… somehow. “I’ll head down there and see what she’s up to”
With a sigh of trepidation as to what she might actually find, she rose, and headed for the turbolift.
“No, no, like this, try this.” Patin said as she knelt low and blew gently into the loose fill she was using to start the initial flame of a second fire. It let out a puff of smoke before bursting into flame. “Good, now if you have a fuel source like petroleum or similar, now would be a good time to splash some on.” She stood and dumped a can of fluid onto the flames causing it to erupt in a huge ball just as the doors parted, streaming light in from the hallway.
The fire suppression team, fitted out head to toe in flame resistant hazmat suits and carrying containers of aerosol fire suppression burst into the room without warning, making a beeline for the several fires that the crew were in the process of coaxing to life. A moment after they entered, the Captain strode in behind, coughing a little as the smoke billowed out into the corridor.
“What the….” She started before she found Patin, looking partially proud of herself and now partially terrified.
“Nozzie, what brings you down? Wait, you heard about my new class and decided to join up didn’t you? Word really travels fast on a boat this small.” She said smiling. She wrapped her arm around Rhenora and gestured to the fires and the progress. “I’ve just been instructing these fine officers on the finer skills of real fire building.”
“Excuse me Ms. Patin, tell us again why we can’t simply use our phasers to light a fire?”
She released Rhenora, “There may come a time when you don’t have a phaser or your other fancy gadgets to rely on. They may get lost, broken or even taken in some situations. The only thing they’ve never been able to take is our whits.” Her mind on her own previous occupation enemies.
“I’m sorry, but who, Ms. Patin?”
“Um, yes, well, them… just them.” Patin said backtracking and covering her tracks well. “So Nozzie, what do you think? What should I teach them next?”
The crew's jaws dropped simultaneously at the sound of the pet name Patin had used for their Captain. Rhenora looked around and recalled the names of those that hadn't shown up for their shifts. Most were here trying to light stuff using rubbing sticks and accelerants.
"Ahhh, I was actually wondering why the fire system had been activated and a dozen crew hadn't shown up for their shifts. Two and two sometimes still equals four" she shrugged. The crew looked sheepish.
Patin could feel Rhenora tense up in the shoulders and so released her. She turned to face her, "What's wrong Noz… uh, Captain? I thought you'd be pleased I took initiative. There were so many willing volunteers for training and I have so many ideas."
She lightly pushed Rhenora on the arm, "you should join us. I'm sure you've seen your fair share of survival situations." She leaned in close, "And between us, I'm not sure some of these people would survive a day in the wilderness alone."
“ You’re right, but this time, let's schedule the time properly so we’re not short staffed anywhere. People are welcome to swap shifts or attend in their downtime but I still need bodies to keep this tub in the air” Rhenora replied quietly, taking in the idyllic setting.
“Bodies, what are you talking about, bodies.” She huffed. “Pshhh, no-bodies been hurt yet.” She said just as a fireball of wood debris and petrol erupted in the face of two crewmembers behind her. A scream erupted, followed by ‘My eyes!’ Patin didn’t even look, merely shrugging, “‘cept them maybe.”
TBC
