Weather When You're On Top of the World

[Cougar 0]

Grey squatted on the ground, fiddling with the sensor. He wondered where Vank was with that isometric refractor he had left in the shuttlepod. With a bit of impatience, he looked around for the security officer even as the sensor beeped impetuously.

 

Matt couldn't help looking at the area, he knew he needed to assist Grey but curiousity seemed to get the better off him. He noticed Grey starting to look impatient. Matt quickly marched back to the shuttlepod. He entered the empty pod and grabbed an isometric refractor, something that he was totally unfamiliar with.

 

A northern breeze tickled the hairs on Grey's exposed forearms. He opened a panel on the weather sensor and attempted to link it to his hand scanner again. "Grr . . . argh!" he muttered, finally succeeding with difficulty at what was supposed to be a simple task. The two devices linked, he proceeded to calibrate the sensor.

 

Matt scurried back to Grey's location. He took one last look at the item in his hand and then handed it to Grey.

 

"Ah-hah! Thank you, Ensign," said Grey as he took the refractor. A simple device that was essentially an advanced barometer, he wanted to attach it to the sensor to augment its readings. The refractor lit up as it docked with the sensor and two green lights started winking. "Much better . . . yes indeed."

 

"I honestly don't think Starfleet officers would approve of this weather, sir," Matt complained.

 

Grey continued setting up the sensor. "Eh? Why not? It's not that bad. I grew up--for at least some of my life, anyway--in weather equal to or worse than this. It's just slightly nippy, perhaps, but not too bad." He closed the panel on the sensor and set it back on its base then stood up, brushing dirt off his uniform. "Certainly better than Epsilon Indi," he added, shivering at the memory.

 

Matt replied, " I grew up in Southern Ontario, usually hot outside unless it's Winter. Seven degrees Celcius is a bit cold in my mind. Of course this is the most northern location you chose. I imagine it would be the least populated. It doesn't matter to me, I don't plan on being assigned here. However, considering Starfleet, you never know where you'll be next."

 

Looking at the impressive vista--a forest dotting the landscape of the escarpment to the west, the faint and distant mountains to the north, the river running to the east--Grey nodded. "Perhaps. But I think I'll be staying with Challenger for a long time." He gathered his bag and picked up his hand scanner. "I'm going to get some soil and water samples," he continued as he walked toward the edge of the river.

 

Knowing his duty, Matt followed Grey. He maintained a 5 metre distance from him. Before Matt could continue following, he gazed around for Commander Cole.

 

Matt halted, "Where's the commander?"

 

Halfway to the river, Grey stopped and looked around. "I don't know, I'm sure she's somewhere around here . . . maybe she went back to the shuttlepod," he replied in a tone that indicated he wanted to continue with his work. "You can check in with her if you want, I'll be find."

 

The ensign nodded and took off in another direction. He holstered his phase pistol with a firm grip while searching for Commander Cole. Matt thought it wouldn't be too hard to find an attractive women who shouldn't be too far from his location.

 

Grey's boots left marks in the mud near the edge of the river. He set his bag down and scanned the soil, obtaining preliminary data. Extracting a sample container and tools from his science bag, he removed a core sample of the soil. "Excellent. Now for the water." This was easily obtained by simply dipping a container into the rushing river, its current energetic and fresh.

 

Matt trusted Grey's scans about lifeforms in the area but did not rule out the possibility of anything happening. In his mind he knew he was being pessimistic. He knew that the Commander could've strayed off scanning something. Regardless, he had to do his duty and check on the safety of the Commander.

 

Grey trusted Matt's sense of duty when it came to his job, but did not rule out the possibility that the security officer had evaded the science chief because of the latter's absent-minded disinterest in conversation. In his mind he knew he was being pessimistic. He knew that the Ensign could have genuinely just wanted to check on the Commander. Regardless, he had to wonder if he were really as he thought.