Survival 101 pt 3
Posted on Tue Sep 27th, 2022 @ 9:46am by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Commander Dean House & Lieutenant JG Blake Leone & Lieutenant Commander Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell & Patin
Mission:
*CD*
Location: Holodeck
Patin, now ready to move on with the shelter portion of her lessons, turned to Rhenora and asked "How do you change the scenery in this bloody thing?" She stomped her foot as if to indicate the holodeck.
Bonnie meanwhile had finished retching into the holo-bush and was approaching her instructor while cleansing her mouth of the foul taste and smell. She overheard the question and proceeded to pipe up, "I, um, I might be…" her stomach churned. "Uh," she swallowed back some loose bile. "Might be able to help. What sort of environment are you looking for?"
Patin eyed the olive-skinned girl and had to admire her resolve at least. "Various actually, or better yet can we do multiples at once? I want to showcase different terrains, environments, and conditions in general. They should range from dry and desolate to wet jungles and then to frozen tundra, which should feel like home."
Bonnie froze for a second as she attempted to process the request based against what the holodeck could offer. "Um, we might be able to do that in succession. I'm not certain there is enough physical space to attempt all of that at the same time." She looked at the Captain as if she had suddenly volunteered herself for something that was over her head.
“Computer, divide the holodeck into four equal sections, create the following, one in each section. Mountainous region near the arctic region of Earth, sub-tropical region similar to Risa’s northern continent, desert region - hrmmm….like Bajor’s Ubane province in summer, and let's go….temperate climate, equatorial region of Earth.” Rhenora instructed, and watched as the room reverted back to the holo grid and was replaced by 4 separate smaller areas. “That’ll do it. However if you want more go-to space, you’ll have to do them in sequence as Bonnie suggested - otherwise, what you see if what you get”
Considering how long all of that mess was taking to work out in the holodeck, that gave Dean and Blake time to get there. Stopping a moment outside the doors. Shaking his head a little bit, not entirely sure that he wanted to go in there. Given already the rumors going about of this Patin person. Either way, he had said that he’d get the Lieutenant to Nora. As such he was. Keying in on the console by the doors, stepping in when they opened.
Giving a look around. Now even more confused. “Oi! Nora! Got a poppet here looking for you.” Now, Dean was smirking about, since that was going to raise eyebrows at the nickname he’d decided on for the Captain. Motioning out for Blake to come in as well.
Blake looked at her guide, wondering about the nickname he had used for what had to be the Captain. In any event, she knew that she would not use it. A nickname was a personal thing. She wouldn’t use it, unless she was asked to. She looked around, curious about the people present. “Thank you for showing me the way, sir”, she told her guide, whose name she didn’t even know yet.
Rhenora looked around at the sound of her name, albeit a new variation thereof being called. Dean stood beside what looked to be a new officer, one the Captain hadn't had the chance to meet yet. Not surprising considering the events of later.
"Ahhh welcome aboard Lt…." She looked to Dean for guidance in greeting this new officer. Patin meanwhile was having a field day tearing limbs off trees to make shelters.
“What in the hell is all this?” an eyebrow raised a little. Dean motioning out at everything. Looking to Blake for a second. “I ran into a straggler, looking for you actually, Captain.”
"This is Patin's new survival skills course for those who could use a little brush up, or extention on the standard Starfleet course." The Captain explained as Patin wielded a large machete to knock foliage off a tree she had scaled. How the woman hadn't met her maker doing this stuff was a miracle unto itself.
"Captain Kaylen Rhenora" Rhen extended her hand to the newcomer.
Blake took the Captain’s hand. “A pleasure to meet you Ma’am. I’m Blake Leone. I arrived just a couple of hours ago”, she said with a smile.
Dean crossed his arms over his chest, looking more focused over where Patin and….wait a minute. Was that Kins also? What in the hell. Who was Patin to start with. He didn’t say anything as of yet though.
Patin placed several sticks into Bonnie's hands, brushed off her own, then looked around. “Alright, you, you and, uh, you over there. You’re on temperate climate shelter duty. Let’s see what you’ve got.” Bonnie was in the mix and so was Blake.
Patin then moved into the arctic section, closed her eyes and inhaled the crisp cold air. Then slapping her hands together she pointed to a group of five who were standing around. “Alright, you lot, you’re on igloo duty. You can do standard block style or snow dome, doesn’t matter as long as you’re protected from the elements.”
Two sections remained and there were approximately ten people left in the area. Patin eyed the groups, then separated them. “Alright, this half,” She said pointing, “Jungle duty, mud and thatch should do. And this half, desert, gonna need a shovel.” Rhenora and Dean were in the last group and the look on their pale faces was palpable.
"Anyone bring some sunscreen?" Rhenora grumbled as she headed off to the unforgiving sand dunes, eyes peeled for any kind of foliage they could use to stop the sand shelter from collapsing. Handily enough there was a small oasis in the scenario with several frond style plants. Stealing the machete from Patin, the Captain set about carving up the plants into useful pieces for their shelter.
Dean tilted his head slightly, looking at Patin as if she had six eyes. Turning his head to look to Rhenora. “She is aware I’m not here for whatever,” motions out with his hand in a circle a couple times, “This is, right?”
"I don't know about that, she doesn't know you from the proverbial bar of soap, she probably thinks you want to learn. Here, pass me that sapling." Rhenora replied, a hearty dose of sarcasm in her voice.
“I kind of gathered that part, given I don’t know her either.” Dean reached for one of the saplings, only because Rhenora asked. “Who is she?”
"She…is a friend of mine from the old resistance days, Patin. We bumped into her when the Pagh Wraith cult were trying to knock off all our old friends." Rhenora explained.
“Hmmm…” Dean thought about it a moment, “Alright then. I guess.” Shaking his head a moment still.
Patin stood in the center, where a bit of each of the four temperate zones met. It was a strange sensation to feel the warmth on one side of her body and the cold on another. “Alright cadets, and well, the rest of ya, you have an hour to show me the best shelter for each situation. I’ll be walking around and watching if you have questions or concerns. Oh, and mind the poisonous creepy crawlies, sprinkled some in for fun.”
"I thought we agreed on safeties Patin" Rhenora retorted from under a semi constructed sand shelter that at this moment was leaking heavily with sand. It trickled down the back of her uniform as she attempted to stuff another broad leaf in to staunch the flow.
Bemused, Patin stuck her tongue out at Nozzie and then withdrew it just as quickly. What good was realism if the participants knew it was not real. There had to be some thrill in the unknown. Her threat of dangerous creatures was just that, a threat. But the idea alone was enough to make her smile.
TBC
