The wonderful world around us.

Posted on Thu Nov 12th, 2020 @ 5:32pm by Lieutenant JG Vespa Kale

Mission: Survival of the fittest
Location: Holo deck 2

ON:



Jane adjusted her harness and double check her head lamp. She had extra batteries, water and a couple protine bars and three victory cookies and ribbons for at the end of the exploration..

"I couldn't decide on which cave system to start with. So I set the program to start us off on easy and grow progessesivly more difficult as we go. Its suppose to compile known data of Earth and other alien cave systems and knit them into something of a hybrid. Its even going to hypothesize possible ecological scenarios so we might see things never seen before." Jane said the excitement was like music in her voice. "One of the guys from Science told me about it and I have been itching to give it a try."

"That sounds absolutely amazing." one of the twin forms of Vespa Kale commented, while the other inspected her own harness. The advantage of essentially existing in stereo is you could inspect your equipment from various angles. "We have procedurally generated simulations back in the Republic so..."

"... that's a welcome taste of home. I really appreciate you inviting me along, I'm so curious about Earth. Homeworld of the Federation." she mused, before turning to inspect her other own harness. "I think everything here..."

"... looks good. Lamps up, chemlights check, rations and water, check and check." she then wore a pair of triumphant smiles. "Ready to go. Oh I wonder what we'll see." she was almost as excited as Jane from the sounds of it, almost bouncing really.

"Believe it or not you are the only one that was brave enough to take me up on the offer. A lot of people on the ship seem to suffer to some degree of claustrophobia. So I am more then a little happy you excepted my invitation because simulation or not its always wise to have a buddy system when caving incase the holodeck malfunctions or something." Jane said as she lead them over to the fissure in the ground that went down a few feet and the bottomed out into a chamber with three openings going off from it. One was tall and could easily be walked through it headed North east at a lazy slant downward. To the East directly was a tunnel that was about three feet wide and maybe a touch taller it would require some bending to navigate it but still pretty novice. The last was a chute with a low ceiling that was directly to the south it had a 20* degree downward slope that made Jane think of a slide. "Hmmmm... Which way looks more fun?" There was still a lot of light from the cave openning to see well enough with out the need of lamps yet.

"Ooo, I know that one. Claustrophobia. Fear of the lack of perceived exits?" she offered, but then shook her head, "That's a rare one for us. Though Dalacari don't like being separated for too far for too..."

"... long, so I guess it all averages out. And seriously, thanks for the invite. If no one else wanted to show, that's on them." an honest pair of happy smiles, before the lot of them traversed down. "More fun? That one." the pair pointed to the chute to the south. "Remindes me of the chutes I used to..."

"... play on when I was a kid. Mom would worry herself sick, but she made sure I always knew where the drones were, and what to do if I got hurt."

Jane nodded. "That was good of her. My mother doesn't even know that I have ever been in a cave little a lone that i enjoy it. My old best friend he and I use to go hide from the other kids in the caves near their colony. We where not the most popular duo and as a result were always in a constant need for new places to run off to. It amazes me we never got lost or stuck. As a child it was irresponsible really. I still wouldn't change any of it though." Jane said sitting down so as to get the best grip on the slick sandy like surface she smiled up at Vespa. "I say we slide. Nothing is better then a good slide."

The pair giggled, "Oh tell me about it, I'm surprised I still have all my fur." each of her forms smiled, "I would run around and play in the grounds after school, never missing a day. I bet Zeta..."

"... Four was on the lookout for me once the bell rang. I'd be around and on the spinner, and then down the chute. If he could, I bet he'd worry himself offline." she giggled, and then once Jane started down the chute the pair of them followed behind, with enough room to keep from bowling over one another.

Oh the joyful sound they made.

Jane was giggling by the end of it too. It had dropped them into a cavern that was about three feet tall and narrowed a bit further in a small trickle of water seeped in tiny bubbles from the walls to gather into little pools. it was the soft trickling of this water that drew Janes eyes to the ledge several feet back after the laughter had subsided. "I was meaning to ask you by the way. What is your take on sky diving?" Jane asked as she waded over to look down the boulder strone corkscrew like passage made slippery by the water flow. She asseset the best places to get a hold to begin the decent.

"Hmm? Oh I've... I've never done it before. I've been in micro-gravity simulations but never actual or even simulated sky diving." she admitted. "Sounds dangerous, but..."

"... in the right environment, it sounds like it could be pretty enjoyable, maybe?" She sounded a little unsure, but curious. Seemed those were words to sum up a Dalacari nicely: Unsure, but Curious.

Vespa followed suit, slowly assessing each foothold and each handhold as her twin forms scaled down. Jane had it easy, her feet were almost built for this. Vespa had paws, built more for running. Though truth be told, it had been a long time since Dalacari had to chase down anything other than a cab.

"Planning the next adventure already?"

"Maybe. I have done cliff diving, but never actual sky diving. I use to watch the Marines near the academy when they would fly out and then parachute down to a landing zone. I always thought that looked like good fun. Though I could never get any of the trainers to let me try it. Was rather disappointing. Apparently its not easy to bribe a Marine into letting you jump out of their death toys. " She smiled up at Vespa then as she reached the bottom. It had opened into a much larger cavern this time. Soft glowing bits of moss lent almost rainbow hues of color over the walls they grew brighter the more Jane seemed to step on the bits that had grown to the floor.. It took her breath away for a moment. There was a angry red where her feet touched it that melted into orange and then yellow then a green blue until it was blackened melted into the areas the lights could not reach. "Oh wow.."

"Yeah, I can't imagine why they'd frown upon you jumping out of a perfectly good shuttle." Vespa teased on her way down. Paws landed on the moss, which caused an unexpected shiver to go up both their spines. "Okay, that's something you don't step on everyday... but wow is right."

"I hope you can see as many colors as I can, because that's beautiful." her other form commented, and hunkered down to get a good look at it. "Cavern life is so fascinating."

Jane wasn't sure how many Vespa saw. But she saw enough to agree wholeheartedly. She knelt down and ran her hand over the moist surface. it flashed a purple that barely wavered past her hand. She added more force as she stroked it careful not to do any damage. It flared into a deep orange that rippled out and away several feet out. "I wounder what its called. I have never seen this sort of reaction from a plant before. Its like its triggered by pressure or energy transfer. how neat."

"I've never seen moss do that, but if it's based on something from your half of the galaxy, that *might* explain why." she said with a smile. "I *have* seen creatures that use light..."

"... and color to communicate threats, or to attract mates or prey. Maybe the moss is trying to say... hey lady, move your foot." she teased, herself mostly.

"Actually I think you might be right." Jane said leaning down she let out a breath against the moss. It didnt light up. So she poked it softly and watched it brighten for as long as she touched it. "It's facinating ... Its also blocking our way to the next chamber." Jane noted her eyes looking for a clear path through the moss.

"That's so odd. It only responds to some form of contact. Maybe the color flash is to deter predators." Vespa considered, then looked around at their options. "You know, we could try to shimmy through that path there? The moss should..."

"... keep the region well illuminated, aside from our lamps and chemlights. Crackle Lights? Whatever you call the sticks that you crack and make the bright green..."

"... chemical glow with."

"That sounds like the best idea. Would you like to take the lead?" Jane asked now being careful not to step on the moss patches if she could avoid it.

"Sure!" the Dalacari was pretty excited about the notion, so the pair of them carefully made their way over, and started to examine the situation. Looked safe enough, she considered, and she started to shimmy her way through the narrow passage. Moss on the ground and along the side of the narrow passage lit up as each of her forms pushed through one after the other. It made for a very colorful display. "There's... another chamber just past this. Little bit of a tight... squeeze but the moss actually helps." she commented as she went.

Just beyond the chamber with the moss there was another chamber, darker as the moss didn't seem to carry over into this region. Smooth stones, the beginnings of a cavern structure with budding stalactites on the ceiling. Water pooled into small ponds here, giving the air a crisp dampness. One of the forms turned her head-lamp on, out of concern for safety as to where to place ones feet and to illuminate the exit point for Jane. "There's no moss here, but the..."

"... stones are a bit smooth, watch out."

Jane was a bit smaller then the Dalacari and was able to wiggle through with ease. Only perk to being fun sized. She clicked on her own lamp as she looked about the chilled chamber. "Wow, its so pretty." she said her eyes took in the smooth stones that gleamed like glass under her lamp light. the sounds of the water were more pronounced here making its own natural music to echo through the area. "Good acoustics" Jane said with a smile to the twins.

"Fantastic really." Vespa replied in a whisper, so as to almost not throw off the noise around them. She stood in silence, listening to the noises around them as nature played its symphony. "So relaxing, too. It's beautiful." though soon, the moment was over, and the pair continued to explore the larger cavern, staying out of the collecting pools as much as they could. Vespa knew this was all simulation, which eased off on the danger aspect, which only left exploration and wonder to fill the gap.

"You ever wonder what sort of life it must be in the subterranean. To never see the stars or know about the universe beyond the basic elements of those stones around you." Jane asked as she stopped again to take a sip of water.

"We used to honestly believe that life in the universe would be more like us. Binary instance. When we met the first lifeform not of our world, we honestly thought..."

"... there was something dreadfully wrong with them. Then we learned." for such a dour topic, she sounded remarkably upbeat. "But, to live here in this cave. Your whole world, your whole..."

"... universe is just a dark cave. Where lights might be dangerous, and the whole of your life is spent in silence and darkness, and fear." she shook her heads, "I don't think I'd..."

"... like that world. Especially not when two loudmouth gods stomp in with their lights and their voices and disturb the whole of it." at that, she giggled.

Jane giggled too it was hard not too. "That is true. Its hard to picture a world with no light and full of fear to be a difficult place to imagine growning up in. But perhaps what if there was no fear. True there is danger but it is preserved differently with out emotions simply through instincts? What if the gentle shifting of the air caused by the thumbing of the waters signified its concept of time and its perceptions of those things like pressure, current, echo, and even smell had evolved in a way to no longer see the light but still admit life in a concessions form? a form sentiant even in its own ways."

Vespa gave a pair of smiles, "I think you and I, standing here, looking the way we do, is proof that if life can evolve as differently as it did with us, then anything is possible."

The Dalacari was silent for a moment. "Each drip is a moment. Each meal is a moment. Each brush with death a moment. Simpler life measures their life differently than we do. When we made the decision to..."

"... stand up and think, we traded moments for memories. We traded instinct for initiative." she offered. "Though, don't get me wrong, it's all still in there somewhere."

"You never forget the basics."

Jane nodded. "So true. Its just so much to take in. Where we are, where we were, and what will the future be like? All these endless possibilities that are out there. Like these caves. It all makes you feel so small but also a part of something so vast its virtually endless."

"There's a Ts'usugi philosopher who said that the more you know, the more you know you don't know. Every question has an answer, but every answer leads to more..."

"... questions. Where we came from, we know. Where we're going, we don't. Oh, it makes my entire head hurt thinking about it." she said with a pair of smiles. "But to the moss, we're..."

"... beyond comprehension. To something else out there, we're the moss. Kinda makes you think. Oh wait, no no, no thinking, oww oww." she giggled, clearly teasing at this point.

"I miss the pretty color moss." she said with a giggle, leaning down to examine a particularly shiny rock patch.

"It reminds me of anther philosopher who use to swear to the theory of inception. That we are all created and existed in a body of a mind that was brought to life by the birth of an idea from a mind of yet anther entity. So on and so forth. " Jane took the time to take a closer look at the tiny pools of water. "It's certainly a headache and a half now that you mention it. The point I think comes back to as you said. We are like the moss. at least from some aspect of the galaxy.
Subject change. Have you ever been to a Barbeque before? And do you like the tropics?"

"Have I been to a ... wait, a barbeque? That's where they roast meats on a firepit, right? If so, yes. If not, it sounds delicious." she gave a pair of nods.

"See, religious or not, there's one solid truth..." and then Vespa smiled, only this time she showed off her teeth. Pointed, sharp, those were predatory teeth.

"We stood upright, we lost most of our pack, but we kept our teeth." and then she relaxed, and gave a more friendly smile. "We evolved from a predatory swarm species that used cloud..."

"... empathy to form a rudimentary group consciousness. The whole pack could share insight, fear, really the basics. As we got smarter, the pack got smaller." she motioned between herselves.

"Modern Dalacaris Sapius." one continued to motion while the other spoke. "And as for your other question, yes and no. I love the tropics because the food and drinks are..."

"... so deliciously delicious. I don't like them because outside of Dalacar holdings, I have to wear a buoyancy suit to go swimming and it makes me look..."

"... I .. I guess, Puffy?"

Jane understood better then they knew. "I have to wear a life jacket or floaties in deep water. I am not a very confident swimmer. My fathers methods made me terrified to be around anything deeper then my knees until i was well into my second year in training at the academy. even then there was a lot of tears and unnecessary drama. I think my dad might have paid some one off or some one had pitty on me because I still was allowed to pass even though I had not passed that exam. So it was put into my folder that if I am to work near water I am suppose to wear a buoyancy vest or floaties.. and yes the officer wrote it in as floaties." Jane chuckled. "Jokes on him though I think Floaties are cute and have no shame in wearing my hello kitties to the beach with all my friends." Jane smiled over at the twins. "I want to have a barbeque to help bring the crew together a little more. Id love it if you could come."

The proverbial light went on. "Oh, so then we're kinda the same. See, you're a weak swimmer, so you need a little help. In standard density fluids, I actually, well, you know... I sink."

"So yeah, we can watch out for each other, and rock the buoyancy suit look together." she said with a pair of smiles, "And, I wouldn't miss it for the world. Especially if there's food." she said, "Just, I know I tell everyone that I'm only one person but..."

"... when you're planning the food, plan for two if you're having me." she giggled. "I'd love to join you." a pause, and then a giggle again, "Floaties. Sounds so adorable."

"Oh they really are. You'll get to see for yourself at the..." Janes wristband bleeped and she frowned looking down. The frowned deepened and she let out a soft sigh. "I am so sorry Vespa but I have to go. Could we save the program and pick it up maybe later this evening? Or tomorrow even?"

"Trouble in paradise? Certainly. We can pick this up next time the both of us are free." she said, easily excusing the sudden need for departure. "This evening, or tomorrow, both work fine." she said with a pair of smiles.

"I hope everything resolves smoothly." she expressed her concern smoothly.

"Thank you for understanding." Jane really was. "Computer arch please." The arch appeared and Jane was stripping off her equipment as she moved. She gave one last smile and wave to the twins before she disappeared around the corner into the hall.

They both smiled, and they both returned the wave. Once that was done and the door closed behind her, Vespa gave a wicked smirk and headed back to go check out that glowing moss again...

=============

Ensign Jane Doe
Counselor

Lt JG Vespa Kale
Science