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Re: Day 36 [1100 hrs.] The Reef

Reply #25 –
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson | Wolf-11 | Lagoon near Volcano S-147 | Aldea | Epsilon Minos System ] Attn: @stardust @Argyros @Brutus
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“The skimmer is too far away. Anyone trying to swim for it is going to either be attacked by the shark or exhausted from the hour or more of swimming they are going to have to do to not draw attention to themselves. We are down current, it why it was so easy to get here. It will be twice as hard to get back,” Donna explained as she treaded water gently, trying not to make any sudden moves as memory worked to dredge up long stored information about the Terran predators. “But, beyond the mystery of why it is here, is another problem. That was an Oceanic Whitetip Shark, key word being oceanic. They very rarely travel into the shallows on Earth, and then only for food. So, why is it in the lagoon?”

Needing more information and wanting to know where the shark had drifted off too, Donna sucked in a lungful of air and dropped below the surface to look around. When on the surface, sharks were easy to spot thanks to their dorsal fins but once submerged, they moved through the water like ravenous ghosts, almost invisible until they were right on you. Thankfully, the crystal-clear water of the lagoon coupled with the high angle of the Aldean Star, Epsilon Mynos, allowed the pilot a decent field of view. Though it wasn’t enough to prevent her from nearly panicking when she turned around and saw the shark gliding through the water on the far side of Samantha’s legs before disappearing again.

“Yeah,” Donna drawled out after resurfacing. “We need to move. That shark is circling us,” Donna explained as she looked around. Spotting what she was after, she pointed at it. “Let’s head for the top of that section of the reef. It’s out of the water until the tide turns. Just watch yourselves when climbing out. That thing can sense a drop of blood from a few hundred meters away and this close, we won’t have a lot of reaction time before it does smell it.”

Re: Day 36 [1100 hrs.] The Reef

Reply #26 –
[ [ Lt JG Derik Veradin | Lagoon near Volcano S-147 | Open Ocean | Aldea | Epsilon Minos System ] Attn: @Stegro88 @stardust @Brutus
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Derik followed Donna’s extended finger, looking for the reef she was referring to. He saw it just a little bit away, the various colors of the coral breaking sapphire waves. Given the lack of an adequate landmass nearby, it was indeed the best option for them to escape to. That and given the fac they had seen one shark likely meant that more were not too far behind. Out in the middle of the water they were an easy topic, and too a school, it would be a feeding frenzy. The idea was….less than pleasant. Especially since both men had bate flopping about.

”Steady pace and don’t panic. If you flail about you’ll entice an attack. Move together.” The Trill turned, making slow strokes as he began moving towards their destination. He was careful to keep his arms below the surface to avoid splashing. Their approach was slow but thankfully short. Veradin put a hand on the coral surface and immediately his nerves went into overdrive. The coral was rough, almost sandpaper above the water, and while he hadn’t cut himself on it, there were sharp edges. Somebody was going to puncture their skin if they weren’t exceedingly careful.
”Watch out. This coral has some sharp edges.”{/color]

Re: Day 36 [1100 hrs.] The Reef

Reply #27 –
[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali | Hydro-skimmer | Open Ocean | Aldea | Epsilon Minos Systema ] Attn: @stardust @Stegro88 @Argyros 
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Clearly no one could accuse Samantha of not being curious, nor living up to some of the stalwart ideals of Starfleet, exploring the unknown wherever she might find them. In Sarresh' esteemed opinion, she also seemed to radiate that utter lack of self preservation and commons sense so often found in her species. As a native ocean dweller, Sarresh was not at all keen to go make nice with the shark that should not exist on this planet and in these waters. He did have to conceded that he knew next to nothing about them, but that was clearly a predator down there. He couldn't argue one way or another with Sam when it came to their natural behavior. He could only judge what his own instincts were telling him.

Turning his alien eyes toward Petterson, and let his head tilt to one side as he gently tred the water. She was right, he realized, after a moment. They would be moving against the current. Lovely. He would be fine, he thought, after a bit of calculating. It wasn't bravado. It was a simple fact. Sarresh was born in the water, lived most of his life in the water and unlike the others, could breathe under the water. He followed her gaze over to the reef, the nearest point out of the water. Coral was a beautiful thing, but it could be abrasive against the skin. And, in their infinite wisdom, the quartet of officers had decided that skinny dipping was the best option. As much as Sarresh loved the feel of water on his skin, and could appreciate, to various levels of interest, the physical beauty of all his companions, he now regretted the decision to skin dive.

Before he could point that out, Derik had started off, and the others were following. He looked at Sam and shared a slow nod. "Go. I'll hold the rear." Translation = I can swim better than you so move your ass, I can distract the thing if it comes to that. He fell in behind her, pacing the others, restraining himself, and keeping an eye out for the shark. He caught sight of it, off in their wake, circling again, and coming about. Blind panic flared for a moment, but he tamped it down, hard and let himself fall behind slightly. He wasn't keen on making himself a target, but it looked to be that the others had arrived.

Surfacing again, Sarresh swam closer, and helped each one out of the water in turn, hands balancing and offering a fall back should someone slip. He wanted out of the water too, and once the others were up, he found himself crawling and scrambling, careful not to open up the palm of his hands or the balls of his feet. Humans were fragile in a way different from what he was used to, and the heat of the coral wasn't exactly pleasant either on bare, wet skin. A breeze blew over them, which was nice, but there was no real shade. Pursing his lips, he looked around. They couldn't stay here forever. 

Oh no Sarresh. Don't you dare. Do not. If only he would listen to himself. 

"I could get back to the boat in a pinch and bring it around, but I'm loath to leave any of you behind while I'm doing so, unless I have to." The words tumbled out. "We can't stay here forever, and I have no idea how long that shark is going to circle about. He was unable to avoid looking over at Rutherford. He did not wish harm to come to any of them. But especially he did not wish her to fall prey to the shark in the ocean, or exhaustion. 

Re: Day 36 [1100 hrs.] The Reef

Reply #28 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Rutherford | Coral Reef | Remote Volcano | Aldea | Epsilon Minos System] attn: @Stegro88 @Argyros @Brutus
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So the unanimous decision was to stick their tails between their legs – some more physically able than others – and vacate the cooling water before anyone had even gotten test-bitten by the shark. Because she was sure, even in these alien waters, the only other species from earth, would’ve not been the predator’s preferred meal. Especially seeing as all of them lacked the most desired ingredient in large quantities: fat. It was effort against caloric payoff, sharks were just logical like that. But as much as the fearless blonde, who managed to subdue her emotions well, understood logic, she also understood politics. Especially the law of majority. So. without further interjection, and only mumbled frustration, the officer followed the others, letting Sarresh take up the rear, with a quizzically cocked brow.

Scampering onto the rocky outcrop, with its sharp edges, like a helpless seal and just as graceful, the diplomat turned instantly to lend the man a helping hand, who had basically pushed her up and out of the now considered treacherous waters. She dared no sit down onto the exposed coral, hardly inclined to have her nether region cut to ribbons, so the blonde squatted at the water’s edge, where it lapped up the rock with subtle gargles. Watching the monster of the deep, circle in refracted glory, a gentle smile almost drew on her plump lips. She did not share everyone’s anxieties … or at least did not let it become a factor in her decision-making. As per Vulcan teachings. She didn’t take her eyes off the dark shadow in the azure, as Sarresh spoke.

“No offense, but if I can sense that breath of fear on you, then so does the shark.” she retorted, not intent on putting the man on the spot, when clearly, he was the more collected one of the three of them. “I suggest someone create a bit of a fuzz on the opposite side, while I calmly swim back to the skimmer. I can dive a good portion of the way, no problem.” It was unlikely he’d even follow her, with her heartbeat low and movements controlled, relaxed. There was a myriad of readily available food down there, it wasn’t logical to go after her instead.

Re: Day 36 [1100 hrs.] The Reef

Reply #29 –
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson | Wolf-11 | Lagoon near Volcano S-147 | Aldea | Epsilon Minos System ] Attn: @Argyros @Brutus @stardust
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As much as Donna appreciated the bravery of the more aquatically inclined of their group, something about the shark’s presence still irked her; and it wasn’t because it was a species of fish native to Earth and exceedingly foreign to the waters of Aldea. Transplanted species studies are been carried out numerous times and most of them suggested, that when placed into a biome that closely mirrored their native one, that the introduced species’ behaviour was the same. Oceanic Whitetip’s were, by definition, oceanic sharks that preferred open oceans in warmer waters. And while the water here was certainly warm enough for them, it was far too shallow in the lagoon for their preferred liking. Which meant something had brought it here, the need for food, or shelter. 

“Something isn’t right,” Donna said, drawing everyone’s attention. “Besides the fact that that shark shouldn’t even be on this planet, it should be here,” she declared, pointing at the water around them to emphasise her point. “The water is way too shallow for their liking. So, what brought it here? Or worse, what drove it here?”

As if to answer her question, a high-pitched sound emanated from the water around them, causing Donna to stumble in surprise and cut her leg on one of the rocks. But the pilot hardly noticed as the water where the shark had been thrashed about violently; evidence that something was happening out of sight below and involving a creature besides the shark that they had already seen. The thrashing continued for a few minutes before the water settled, save for the growing pool of red blood above it.

“Ah, what the fuck just happened?”

Re: Day 36 [1100 hrs.] The Reef

Reply #30 –
[ Lt JG Derik Veradin | Lagoon near Volcano S-147 | Open Ocean | Aldea | Epsilon Minos System ] Attn: @Stegro88 @stardust @Brutus
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Seeing the sudden turmoil in the water, Derik's eyes widened and he stood tall on the reef, trying to make out what was going on. He let out a couple of Trill curses, and what had started as carefree excursion of levity had suddenly become a quite lethal situation.

"W-Whatever that was, it was larger than a shark, that's for sure," he said under his breath, feeling the merciless sun battle the cold shivers that ran up his spine. They were out there on their own, and while the boat provided them a projected shield against the lethal sunlight - it being a necessity on Aldea - it had a limited range. They should be well within the shield envelope, right?

And then it hit him. Of course...

"It's the hydro-skimmer's ozone-shield," he said to his naked companions on the reef. "It shades whatever is down there, making them surface right here. With all this time of deterioration of the ozone layer... perhaps the sea life has adapted a sense for where the holes are, and where they might come up to the surface. That's why the shark-like thing is here, rather than in waters more natural to them. As for... whatever that was, it might just enjoy the warmer sea bottom close to the volcano..."

And where did that leave them? They would somehow have to make it back to the skimmer, get into the shade, and deactivate the ozone shield. Perhaps it might deter any more sea life from coming there, but that also mean...

"If just one of us deactivate the shield, the rest will be cooked. We need to take the skimmer here, and hope it isn't attacked as well."

Now, the question was, who should go?

Re: Day 36 [1100 hrs.] The Reef

Reply #31 –
[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali | Hydro-skimmer | Open Ocean | Aldea | Epsilon Minos Systema ] Attn: @stardust @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan 

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Sarresh pursed his lips, as Samantha pled her case and counter offer. He wanted to argue about her comment on fear. Of course he was afraid. There was a predator in the water that didn't belong o nthat world, and he was surrounded by people that could not breathe under water.  Nor could Sarresh pretend that a large portion of his fear was reserved for the woman that had just suggested that she be the one to go after the boat while the others caused a distraction on the far side of the reef. He wanted to argue with her about emotions but he didn't know anything about sharks, beyond what his intuition told him.

"Can they do that? Smell fear?" he asked, looking between Samantha and Donna, the two humans. "Are Sharks empathic?" Despite looking human himself, he had never been to Earth - that he remembered - and knew nothing about the ocean based predator that was so very far from home. If Sam was right, and the things could literally sense fear...then loath as Sarresh was to let her go in his stead, she might have a point.

He wasn't the only one that had questions, but Sarresh couldn't decide if Donna's concerns were topical right then or not. Something was clearly wrong, and he could only take her word about what sort of prefered environment the sharks had. Looking out that the shadow of the beast beneath the surf, Sarresh scowled and squared off his shoulders. He opened his mouth to spout off something tart when the blood curling cry filled the air. What followed was  massacre, and the former Ash'reem quaked at the sight. Every flight or fight insticnt screamed at him to put as much distance between it and himself. Trapped on a reef in the ocean however, there was very little that he could do, but freeze in place, as his heart did its beast to burst out of his chest despite all his training.

"Something big, and something bad." Sarresh pointed out the obvious, in a hushed voice. Derek seemed to agree with that assessment and the time traveler flashed him a shaky smile that didn't stay in place terribly long. The water was slowly growing calm again, but he didn't trust it, narrowing those alien eyes. He looked out toward where the skimmer sat, and back to Derek. It all made sense, what the Trill was saying, but at the same time, he had no idea if the science was sound. He was going to have to take some study courses in the biological sciences at some point, but there was nothing he could do at all about that here and now. "I'm a time traveler, not a marine biologist. I'll defer to you on the how and the why."

Of course, the Trill was a pilot and well...perhaps that gave him a better understanding of the mechanics behind the skimmer than what Saresh possessed.

Sighing, Sarresh stood up and looked out, before turning back to Donna, Derek and Samantha. "Does the addition of a giant, hungry sea creature change your logic about which of us should go out to the boat and bring it back here, Samantha?" As loath as he was to play the hero, he was - surprisingly, he had to admit - less willing to see the others make the attempt.

Re: Day 36 [1100 hrs.] The Reef

Reply #32 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Rutherford | Coral Reef | Remote Volcano | Aldea | Epsilon Minos System] attn: @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan @Brutus
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Samantha wasn’t going to even try and wrap her head around the logic of what a shark should and shouldn’t do on a planet lightyears away from its original habitat. But the simplest explanation was always the availability of food and mates. On a planet that had no other earth shark they knew of, they most likely scoured far and wide for some ass, even the more shallow areas. The same went for food, that seemed to aggregate around the coastlines as well. And last but not least, the measure of ozone depletion, that left the only viable areas of shade in the proximity of large geographical features, such as the volcano, not the open ocean. So logically, the question should have been: Why wouldn’t every sea monster and their mother be EXACTLY here?!

But before the diplomat and part Vulcan could bring forth any kind of logical rebuke to the wayward assumptions being thrown around in terror, she had to admit herself a moment of blind fear, as a sudden burst on the surface shook her. So the shark obviously wasn’t at the top of the local food chain. Which made all their previous worries sort of obsolete … before replacing them with new ones.

“I reckon we don’t have to worry about the shark anymore.” was the most optimistic justification the blonde could give, in light of the events. “Glad that the organizers of this event had the presence of mind to check the local wildlife dangers.” her human side added in emotional sarcasm. Granted, the more prudent thing would’ve probably been to familiarize with these waters herself, before shedding off all spandex layers of protection and modesty.

As long-winded as Derik’s explanations were, at least they offered a productive tangent to explore. The commander honestly hadn’t even thought about the very shield that protected them against the glaring sun, as technology in general had become such an integral part of their lives. Just as you never consciously thought about the artificial gravity on the ship. But maybe a pilot was more so technically aware than a diplomat.

Twisting her pate to give Sarresh a look out of blue eyes squinted against the bright sun, Samantha couldn’t help but smile faintly at his demeanor. As the man’s gentle terror gave her power, somehow. “I am not a telepath either, yet you broadcast your emotions like a neon sign. Erratic movements, heightened nervous functions … sharks sure can sense that, at least.” she said calmly. “I know I can.”

“If it’s just about who can get to the hydro-skimmer fastest and bring it over here … sorry pal, my money is on you.” she subsequently shrugged, rethinking her initial offer not out of fear - because frankly, it didn’t matter whether she’d be stalked by a shark or whatever else that was – but out of sheer logic.

“But if it makes you feel any better, we can go together.”

Re: Day 36 [1100 hrs.] The Reef

Reply #33 –
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson | Wolf-11 | Lagoon near Volcano S-147 | Aldea | Epsilon Minos System ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Brutus @stardust
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Donna bit back a curt response to the diplomats very undiplomatic words. She hadn’t considered that much of anything could survive this far from the shielded areas the Aldeans inhabited, and if it did, then it wouldn’t come up near the surface. She’d heard whispers during her stay, about unexplained readings from the deep oceans but had paid it no mind. She was a pilot, not an oceanographer. The only time she cared about the ocean was when she wanted to swim in it.

“I probably should have prepared better for this little excursion,” Donna admitted to herself as she crouched down to inspect her leg, careful to keep any other potentially sharp rocks away from some of her more delicate areas. “Not life threatening but deep enough that it isn’t going to clot on its own anytime soon,” Donna told herself. The skimmer had their medkit and since they had all decided to go swimming nude, she didn’t even have a swimsuit to wrap around the wound. Her leg already had a trail of blood running down it and if she tried to swim for the skimmer, all that was going to do was advertise her as the noon meal for the next shark that came along.

Not that they needed more advertising considering the patch of blood that was still seeping from the last fish they had seen. Standing up again, Donna did a slow three-sixty turn, her eyes scanning the water’s surface as far as she could see in an effort to pierce the glare from the star and spot the shark’s that would inevitably be coming to feast on what they thought was a free meal. She noted a dark patch of cloud on the horizon off to what she thought of as east but put aside her concern about the weather until after she had dealt with their shark problem.

And it was going to be one hell of a problem. 

“We got incoming,” Donna called out, cutting off the discussion between Morali and Rutherford about swimming for the skimmer and pointing out into waters around them at where she had spotted the tell-tale dorsal fins that signalled the approach of more sharks. She scrambled up higher on the rocks they were encamped on, moving herself away from the water’s edge lest one of the fish fancied trying its luck on her. Unable to do much else, Donna watched as several sharks, at least five from her cursory count, swam into the lagoon and dove into the cloud of blood, no doubt searching for the bleeding carcass that was the source. 

“Still want to swim for it?” Donna questioned the diplomat, trying as best she could not to be snide about their turn of events. As good looking as she was, and she was beautiful Donna admitted, there was something about her personality that, at least for the moment, irked the pilot. “I don’t fancy your chanc....” 

Donna’s words were cut off by another high-pitched cry from the water around them, this one sounding slightly different than the one from before, as if whatever creature had made it was reacting to the arrival of more sharks. The waters of the lagoon began to thrash about before a second cloud of blood appeared, followed soon after by a third. It was clear, to Donna at least, that mortal combat was happening beneath the shimmering surface.

She turned to face the others when something caught her eye. Turning to the east, the clouds that had been on the horizon were now much closer, stretching across the sky like a curtain. Beneath their grey blanket, the hazy mist that told of rain could be seen.

“That’s not poss...” Donna began to utter before her voice was stolen away by what she saw in the water beneath the clouds. Or rather, what had emerged from it.

“What the fuck!”

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OOC: Sorry for the extreme delay. I think we can finish this in 2 or 3 rounds.

Re: Day 36 [1100 hrs.] The Reef

Reply #34 –
[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali | Hydro-skimmer | Open Ocean | Aldea | Epsilon Minos Systema ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @stardust @Stegro88 
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I never thought I'd meet someone as asinine and stubborn as me, and yet, here we are. The thought was not unkind. Far from it, in fact. Annoyed as he was with her persistent logic, Sarresh nevertheless sincerely doubted he could actually be mad at Samantha, or think of her in any way other than highly. Worrying in its own right, such admiration, the former Ash'reem planted his hands on his hips and let out a short burst of pent up breath. He was about to launch into another round of 'if one of us had to be the big dumb hero it might as well be me' his words were cut off just as Sam's were, by Donna's warnings. 

Turning - carefully, less he cut his heel on one of the coral formations - and let his gaze fall on the churning waves and the fins breaking the surface. "Well bugger." A less than reassuring summation of the situation, but it was honest enough, and Sarresh saw no reason to ramble on about how the odds of his - or Samantha's - successfully getting to the skimmer had just decreased drastically by a factor of roughly five sharks.

He felt Derik come up next to him, even as Donna scooted back, further away from the edge. He shot her a bit of a scowl at her wise crack about wanting to swim. He hadn't wanted to swim for it to begin with, but he hadn't seen a better choice. Now here were more of the damn things. But before he could really get off a cutting blow from a witting riposte to Donna's pointed thrust, whatever had driven off the first shark made itself known again, in a truly bloody fashion. The cry that bubbled up out of ocean set Sarresh's teeth on edge. 

The swift massacre of the shiver of sharks left more than just his teeth aching however, as a shudder rippled over the mans whole body, leaving him tense in the shoulder and keyed up, going onto the tips of his toes and hissing through a clenched jaw. Nostrils flaring, Sarresh could damn near smell the blood in the water now. Something in close to the coral had made short work of the sharks, which was great, except now something unseen was keeping them just as trapped as they were before. 

Donna's words again cut through the tension of the moment, only this time there was no sarcasm to poke or prod the surly time traveler, just raw shock and fear. Looking up, those alien eyes of his went wide and he swore under his breath, a strangled miasma of clicking and a sharp whistle, slipping into his native tongue in pure surprise. (Or as close as he could now manage). Some sort of ridged fins or spines managed to break through the swiftly rolling fog bank that seemed to cling to the surface of the ocean, unperturbed by the intense sun and the turbulent waves. In point of fact, Sarresh was starting to believe that the waves were coming from whatever the hell that thing was under the water.

"Let me guess, there was nothing about ridge backed cloud formations in the tours brochure for this part of the ocean, was there?" Even to his ears, the joke fell flat. Then again, faced with something so terrifyingly out of proportion as to make every hind brain, primal instinct in his body scream to get as far away as he could, Sarresh was hardly surprised by the lack of reception to his pitiful attempt at humor.

"There's always a bigger fish, but I don't think I want to see what's bigger than that. How...how far away is the skimmer again? If we can get there before that gets here..." Not that those odds were terribly great, even with the sharks now out of the picture.


OOC: I shit you not, a large group of sharks is called a shiver.

Re: Day 36 [1100 hrs.] The Reef

Reply #35 –
[ Lt JG Derik Veradin | Lagoon near Volcano S-147 | Open Ocean | Aldea | Epsilon Minos System ] Attn: @Stegro88 @stardust @Brutus
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While the debate about whom ought to swim out to the skimmer and bring it to the shore led its short life, only to be interrupted by yet another creature, Derik found himself unable to move - governed by the animal instinct to remain still and escape notice.

Of course the former Ash'reem was the best candidate for getting out to their skimmer, the man literally having lived most of his life in water and even being biologically engineered (despite the pre-existing human modifications) to breathe it. Derik was certainly not going to offer swimming in his stead after seeing those creatures hiding in the deep, but out of respect, he wasn't about to tell the scientist to hurry up either. Better if the monster had managed to swim some distance away from the skimmer first. If they lost Sarresh, Derik didn't want to think about whom would be sacrificing themselves next.

Perhaps we should all swim at the same time, in wild panic, and only one of us gets eaten and the rest get to safety?

A morbid thought, only made slightly more jocular when he looked around himself, the fact that they were facing the ordeal without any clothing on likely being a jocular footnote in the report they'd submit to Commander Ducote about what they had encountered.

OOC: Passing the torch to @Stegro88 , whom will be writing the last post in this thread, so that we can wrap it and focus on the upcoming parts of the story instead of Aldea. :)

Re: Day 36 [1100 hrs.] The Reef

Reply #36 –
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson | Wolf-11 | Lagoon near Volcano S-147 | Aldea | Epsilon Minos System ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @stardust @Brutus
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"Too far,” Donna replied to Sarresh, choosing to ignore his remark about the brochure. Truthfully, she hadn’t researched about much of the local fauna but she also hadn’t been expecting something that she had to guess measured at least as long as a Defiant-class starship. The creature, just from the way its movement displaced the water around it, was immense. More unsettling was the way the sky darkened and roiled as if a fast-moving storm was tied to the animal’s tail. Donna found herself frozen in place, unable to command her body to move as raindrops began to fall on her head.

The creature, their bulk growing ever more formidable as it neared, began to crackle and spark as arcs of electricity began to dance between the spines of its back. A lightning bolt arced down from the clouds above and the water around them began became unsteady as the monster pulled up barely 200 metres from them. Pausing for a moment, the animal began to rise, water cascading from their scaly hide as they took on a bipedal stance. Lightning still arced as the monster, revealed to be a gigantic lizard-like thing, stood tall. Its chest swelled and it roared into the sky and clouds above. The roar was so powerful that Donna was forced to cower from the sheer volume and presence of it.

Finally able to peek out from behind her arms, she stared up at the beast as it glowered back down at them, its eyes locked on their nude forms from its over 100 metre height. It was huge with layers upon layers of muscles. Donna had to guess, from its size and the way it moved, that the animal weighed somewhere in the region of 90,000 tonnes. Just the thought of what it took to be able to move that bulk, and the damage you could do with just a footstep sent another shiver through Donna’s body.

A call from the left of the gathered and stranded humanoids drew their attention and they watched familiar, if diminutive by comparison, dorsal plates break the water’s surface. This was followed by a head and tail, both showing the wounds and scars of battle, recent and beyond. Looking up at the monster and back down at the smaller one, Donna came to a realisation as old as time.

“It's its child,” the pilot uttered as the two creatures interacted. The weather above them settled as the arcs of electricity stopped dancing between the parent’s dorsal plates. Further conversation was stalled as the parent snorted in their direction before turning and beginning to walk away, its child in tow. As the water came up to the lizard’s hips, it dove forward into the water, revealing a massive tail that had been heretofore unseen. Combined with its height, Donna guessed that the monster had to be almost 300 metres long and revised her weight up to almost 100,000 tonnes. 

No one moved as the two creatures disappeared under the waves until after the water had settled and the waves had dissipated. 

“I think we should get back to the skimmer before the sharks regain their bravery.”

~FIN~
 
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