Moving Forward

Posted on Mon Mar 20th, 2023 @ 6:53am by Captain Rhenora Kaylen

Mission: Planet of the Dinosaurs
Location: Camp
Timeline: Current

Captain Kaylen Rhenora dared to breathe. No, more than that, she dared to stop and breathe, just for a little. The last few days had been relatively quiet. They had plenty of protein to supplement their food supply, the majority of the crew had been given the vaccination to prevent the DNA illness from taking hold and healing those that were afflicted, and the dinosaurs had seemingly left them alone for a while.

Rising from her camp bed in the darkness of the predawn, the camp was quiet, the designated security officers doing the rounds, a soft glow emanating from the medical tent, and a few hardy souls getting up to start the breakfast meal for everyone. Other than that, it was still, and quiet.

She pulled on her trousers and turtleneck, socks and boots, the jacket having been sacrificed to rescue Dean and left in the now rotting pile of dino corpses. There was little in the way of personal grooming supplies so she dragged her fingers through her hair until most of the knots were out, and tied it out of the way with her one and only hair-tie. The boots were dulled, scuffed and dirty but she didn't care about appearances anymore. No-one needed nor wanted the Captain to be pristine when everyone else was trying to survive. This was about being real and present.

A dull glow at first formed on the distant horizon, the colours of the sky changing from black to dark blue, then through the colours of the rainbow until a clear light blue punctuated with the occasional white cloud set the scene for the rest of the day. The smells of protein and plant material cooking drew her attention along with a particular smell she knew and loved.

"Is that what I think it is?" She wrinkled her nose as she approached the team doing the cooking.

" Well, a few of us blew our rations so everyone could have coffee. We mixed it with a local plant bean, also roasted and ground to bulk out the mix - it's passable if you'd like to try some" One of the young crewman dipped a ladle into a large dark pot boiling over one of the fires. "There's no milk, or creamer, or whatever you'd normally add" she added hastily.

" I'd love to try it, thank you" The Captain smiled warmly at the ingenuity and compassion these young officers had displayed. The crewman turned and picked up an emergency rations cup, emptying the ladle of dark liquid into it. The Captain wrapped her hands around the mug, allowing it to warm her cold fingers in the cool of the morning. A deep inhale and a smile of contentment followed. "It smells good" She started before taking an experimental sip. Dark, bitter and a hint of something just a little bit different battled for dominance on her palate. It was definitely passable. She opened the eyes she hadn't realised she'd closed to find the young crewman blushing and looking just a tiny bit awkward as she watched her Captain's reaction. " I take it you like it?" The young one asked.

"I do indeed, thank you for going above and beyond for everyone. I'm sure they'll love it" The Captain smiled warmly, resting a hand on each of them as she headed off, contentment showing clearly on her features. Despite the tough situation, despite being marooned on a planet that kept trying to kill them, the crew were doing everything they could to make things a little bit easier, a little more comfortable and just a little bit nicer for each other. And that was something she was so very proud of.