Into Wonderland

Posted on Fri May 10th, 2019 @ 5:17pm by Ryder Bray & Chief Helmsman Eden Bowers

Mission: Ishimura
Location: Unknown Planet
Timeline: 2243
1445 words - 2.9 OF Standard Post Measure

Eden stepped outside and hesitantly took a breath though she knew she'd already gotten some of the air on the shuttle. "Think there's any wildlife around?" She casually asked without trying to betray the worry in her voice. She was being stupid, how many planets had she visited as a child with her parents? She'd been better at making friends with the local wildlife than she was with any children they came across and it was still true today with any adults she met. Except maybe Sebastian, but she still wasn't too sure what was going on there. He confused her, but she had to admit in a good way.

"Probably." Phaser pistol in hand, Ryder's focus seemed elsewhere. He was typically rather jovial and quick to reassure, but for the moment, he was in his zone. This was a dangerous, new planet and they had no idea what they were going to face. At least, until he had presence of how serious he had become. Turning, he tilted his head toward what looked to be a fuzzy lump of fluff, colored in a bright orange and green. "... Maybe if we find out that that's not going to eat us, we can corral it back to Kass and have her make sense of it while we're fixing the ship up?"

"How do you propose we do that? I'm not volunteering to pet anything to see if it's hungry." Eden shook her head, there was something strange about this planet, she could feel it. The air was making her ever so slightly dizzy, but hadn't someone said the atmosphere was breathable? "It's so beautiful," she whispered. "Like a neverending sunrise or sunset."

Ryder looked back at Eden. "With all due respect, I don't think I'd let you pet anything. I'll be pulling the stupid moves around here." He hadn't quite paid attention to his own body's responses to the atmosphere, instead narrowing his eyes at her. "What was that Eden? I couldn't hear ya."

"I said it's very beautiful. And that's an odd thing to say, do you consider yourself a reckless person?" She sneezed into the crook of her arm before he could answer. "Great, I'm allergic to this planet." When she sucked in more breath she found the slightly perfumed air relaxing and she couldn't help but let out a big smile.

"No, but someone has to make sure the actually reckless people don't get a chance to be more reckless." Ryder whirled on Eden as she sneezed, eyes narrowing at her in confusion. "I'm thinking we should get you back to the shuttle before you end up with something worse than a little sneeze."

"You think I'm reckless?" Eden narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm just . . . different, I don't put myself in danger normally. And I'm fine, just a tickle of the nose is all. It won't kill me." Despite the urge to sneeze, she thought it very peaceful here and she loved the color of the sky.

"I didn't say that, Bowers." He became more stern as he eyed her over. If she was affected by the atmosphere, there was no telling what could be occurring. It was a good thing he couldn't have possibly been affected. Everything was A-OK. "Maybe we should get back to the shuttle."

She shrugged. "I don't think we should wander too far but everything seems fine out here. A summer's day on an alien planet. All we need is the picnic."

"Miss Bowers." Ryder's voice grew grim as he was beginning to realize the effects were judgment-inducing as well. He took at step toward her. "We can't make that assumption based on a simple visual of our eyes. We need equipment for that, especially if there's microscopic particles that could really mess with our heads."

Eden sighed. "Alright, we'll head back to the ship." She didn't know why he was making a big deal out of this. "You want me to go first so you can make sure I don't wander off on you?" Eden joked, she of course would do no such thing.

Ryder's eyes narrowed at her, and before she could react, he went to pick her up and put her on his shoulder. "I can't take that chance, Bowers."

It took Eden quite a few seconds to come to terms with what had just happened. She sucked in a breath and then started screeching. "PUT ME DOWN! I CAN WALK ON MY OWN." Her heart was really pounding now. Hadn't he mentioned the atmosphere was affecting her? There was every chance he was just as far gone as she was.

"I know you can." Ryder was insistent, turning toward the shuttle and all but ignoring her pleas. "But I'm not taking the chance that we end up down one more crewmember. There are only so many people I can write sincere apologies to parents for. Therefore, I'm making sure you get back to that shuttle."

Eden had to think of something. She was just not going to let him carry her like some cavewoman. She was perfectly fine, but Ryder had obviously shown he wasn't. What kind of Starfleet officer just threw a woman over his shoulder like that? Eden began moving side to side with both ends of her body, trying to throw him off balance.

Ryder's response to Eden's jostlings was to stop in his tracks, bouncing his shoulder up and down a couple of times to get her to stop. "Eden, this is only going to go slower if you keep trying to impede me here."

That was it, she'd had it. She had to get away from this crazy man. Eden had been willing to walk back to the shuttle but Ryder throwing her over his shoulder was not a normal response. Who knows what things he had planned for her. Maybe they weren't even heading back to the shuttle. She reached for the phaser she'd taken before they left and aimed for upper part of the back of his leg. She made sure it was on stun and then fired, knowing she was going to fall with him.

Sure enough, Ryder flung her off his shoulder the moment after his thigh was shot. He did not go down, but instead knelt over, clutching the back of his leg. His eyes narrowed at Eden at his watched her actions closely. "Eden, are we gonna have a problem?"

"Not if you let me walk like a non crazy person." She answered, getting to her feet. Still had the phaser in her hand. "You get to go first now."

Ryder shook his head. "I'm gonna point out right now that you're the one who's pointing a phaser at me for no good reason."

"You tried to carry me off like some sort of caveman and I'm the crazy person? I told you I could walk just fine. I'm perfectly within my rights to defend myself." Was it getting hotter out here? Eden wiped her forehead. "So you walk in front of me now and we'll be perfect."

"But don't you think that's a little excessive? Phasers and wandering off?" Sensing an opening as Eden seemed just distracted enough, Ryder launched himself at her, ready to tackle her down and take the phaser from her hand.

"No, I don't think that's . . . " Any other words were lost to the man lunging at her. Eden let out a squeal, not that it helped any. She managed to twist herself away just in time and took off running for the nearest tree, the phaser tucked close to her body. This maniac was trying to kill her! She had to get word to Sebastian. She hoisted herself up, through the canopy and settled herself down on the top of it's wide . . . well she didn't know what they were. Leaves? Looking down, she could clearly see Ryder down below and if he tried to come and get her she was going to shoot him again.

Ryder stopped at the base of the tree, eyes drifting upward. He wasn't dumb enough to go running up to get her, not while she had that phaser of his in her hands. Instead, he took a step back, whipping out his comms device. The ship might not have been able to hear him, but the shuttle sure was going to be able to. "Ryder to Shuttle Crew. We've got a situation here, and I'm going to need some back up. Or at least someone with a little more sense at our coordinates."

Lieutenant Ryder Bray
Chief Security Officer
USS Ishimura
(PNPC Uhin)

Ensign Eden Bowers
Chief Helmsmen
USS Ishimura