Aerial Negotiations
Title: Aerial Negotiations
Rating: PG
Media: Star Trek: TOS
Disclaimer: Star Trek belongs to Gene Roddenberry, although Erica McCoy is mine.
Warning(s): Alternate Universe, Minor plot spoilers (for a fic I haven't written just yet)
Characters: James Kirk, Original Characters (Erica McCoy, Jarak)
Summary: While climbing for his life, the Captain of the Enterprise makes a new friend, with the help of a brave young woman.
Author's Notes: This story was originally written up during pre-calculus class this morning. It would have been posted sooner, if the internet connection at school hadn't decided it hated me today (the feeling is mutual, by the way). last week. This probably would have been posted sooner if I hadn't been having problems with the internet connection at school...
Erica muttered something under her breath, making Kirk raise one brow in surprise. He had never heard the usually mild-mannered young woman swear before, and here he was, halfway up a steep cliff face, listening to his CMO's niece use language that would make an Orion pirate blush.
"What's wrong, Erica?" Kirk finally asked, his arms beginning to ache from holding his weight as he clung for dear life to the rocky cliff face (it was a long way down, and there wasn't anything between him and certain death at the foot of the cliff).
"There's a hawk-like bird circling overhead, Captain," Erica replied. "And it's big enough to carry you off in its talons."
"Maybe it's not interested in us, Erica," Kirk suggested hopefully, but Erica shook her head.
"It has its eyes set on you, Captain," she said.
"How can you be sure of that?" Kirk challenged.
"It's like a Polluxian jaguarundi(1)," Erica explained. "It's telepathic."
"Can it make its prey come willingly to it, Erica?" Kirk asked, recalling how one of the telepathic felines had killed one of his crew members before turning its sights on Erica's uncle. It had only been the timely arrival of Erica and her domesticated jaguarundi, Malika, that had spared the doctor from becoming the huge predator's dinner.
"Luckily for us, it can't," Erica replied.
"Can you make it go after some other prey animal instead of us, Erica?" Kirk asked, a desparate plan beginning to form in his mind.
"Maybe," Erica replied. "But I don't think I can do it while rock climbing without any sort of safety equipment."
"Why?" Kirk asked.
"I might let go of the cliff, Captain," Erica replied matter-of-factly.
Kirk couldn't order her to act in his defense, not when she could die. Bones would never forgive him if Erica died to save him.
The decision was abruptly taken from him as the giant bird shrieked, plunging into a steep dive at the side of the cliff where they clung to the rocks. Kirk cringed, expecting at any moment to be plucked off of the cliff by talons.
But they never came.
Confused, he looked up at where Erica had been clinging to the rocks, leading the way up the cliff. He was horrified to find her gone.
Bones is going to kill me, Kirk groaned to himself.
"For a Starfleet captain who refuses to believe in no-win situations, you are pretty quick to mourn the living, Captain," a voice called out from behind him.
Kirk carefully turned around, only to find himself face to face with a great hawk-like bird.
"Jump, Captain," the voice said in encouragement. "Don't worry, Jarak will catch you."
"Jarak?" Kirk asked, eying the giant hawk with distrust.
"It's Polluxian for 'great hawk', Captain," Erica explained from her perch between Jarak's shoulders.
Jarak chirped.
"Of course, he doesn't see the point in names," Erica admitted. "But he is willing to accept the name for however long we have need of his assistance."
"How did you convince him to help us, Erica?" Kirk asked.
"There is no love lost between the Cav and the wildlife of this planet, Captain," Erica replied. "It was just a matter of explaining to him that you were not a Cav."
"What about you?" Kirk asked, picking up on her choice of words.
"He already knew I was not a Cav," Erica replied. "How he knew, I don't know, and I did not ask him."
1. Jaguarundi are huge, jaguar-like felines native to the jungles of Pollux V (where Erica is from), infamous for their long canines (simillar to the extinct saber-tooth tigers of Earth) and for their telepathic abilities. Revered by the Polluxian natives, who view the jaguarundi as servants of the Great Mother Goddess, little is known about this unusual feline species.
Rating: PG
Media: Star Trek: TOS
Disclaimer: Star Trek belongs to Gene Roddenberry, although Erica McCoy is mine.
Warning(s): Alternate Universe, Minor plot spoilers (for a fic I haven't written just yet)
Characters: James Kirk, Original Characters (Erica McCoy, Jarak)
Summary: While climbing for his life, the Captain of the Enterprise makes a new friend, with the help of a brave young woman.
Author's Notes: This story was originally written up during pre-calculus class this morning. It would have been posted sooner, if the internet connection at school hadn't decided it hated me today (the feeling is mutual, by the way). last week. This probably would have been posted sooner if I hadn't been having problems with the internet connection at school...
Erica muttered something under her breath, making Kirk raise one brow in surprise. He had never heard the usually mild-mannered young woman swear before, and here he was, halfway up a steep cliff face, listening to his CMO's niece use language that would make an Orion pirate blush.
"What's wrong, Erica?" Kirk finally asked, his arms beginning to ache from holding his weight as he clung for dear life to the rocky cliff face (it was a long way down, and there wasn't anything between him and certain death at the foot of the cliff).
"There's a hawk-like bird circling overhead, Captain," Erica replied. "And it's big enough to carry you off in its talons."
"Maybe it's not interested in us, Erica," Kirk suggested hopefully, but Erica shook her head.
"It has its eyes set on you, Captain," she said.
"How can you be sure of that?" Kirk challenged.
"It's like a Polluxian jaguarundi(1)," Erica explained. "It's telepathic."
"Can it make its prey come willingly to it, Erica?" Kirk asked, recalling how one of the telepathic felines had killed one of his crew members before turning its sights on Erica's uncle. It had only been the timely arrival of Erica and her domesticated jaguarundi, Malika, that had spared the doctor from becoming the huge predator's dinner.
"Luckily for us, it can't," Erica replied.
"Can you make it go after some other prey animal instead of us, Erica?" Kirk asked, a desparate plan beginning to form in his mind.
"Maybe," Erica replied. "But I don't think I can do it while rock climbing without any sort of safety equipment."
"Why?" Kirk asked.
"I might let go of the cliff, Captain," Erica replied matter-of-factly.
Kirk couldn't order her to act in his defense, not when she could die. Bones would never forgive him if Erica died to save him.
The decision was abruptly taken from him as the giant bird shrieked, plunging into a steep dive at the side of the cliff where they clung to the rocks. Kirk cringed, expecting at any moment to be plucked off of the cliff by talons.
But they never came.
Confused, he looked up at where Erica had been clinging to the rocks, leading the way up the cliff. He was horrified to find her gone.
Bones is going to kill me, Kirk groaned to himself.
"For a Starfleet captain who refuses to believe in no-win situations, you are pretty quick to mourn the living, Captain," a voice called out from behind him.
Kirk carefully turned around, only to find himself face to face with a great hawk-like bird.
"Jump, Captain," the voice said in encouragement. "Don't worry, Jarak will catch you."
"Jarak?" Kirk asked, eying the giant hawk with distrust.
"It's Polluxian for 'great hawk', Captain," Erica explained from her perch between Jarak's shoulders.
Jarak chirped.
"Of course, he doesn't see the point in names," Erica admitted. "But he is willing to accept the name for however long we have need of his assistance."
"How did you convince him to help us, Erica?" Kirk asked.
"There is no love lost between the Cav and the wildlife of this planet, Captain," Erica replied. "It was just a matter of explaining to him that you were not a Cav."
"What about you?" Kirk asked, picking up on her choice of words.
"He already knew I was not a Cav," Erica replied. "How he knew, I don't know, and I did not ask him."
1. Jaguarundi are huge, jaguar-like felines native to the jungles of Pollux V (where Erica is from), infamous for their long canines (simillar to the extinct saber-tooth tigers of Earth) and for their telepathic abilities. Revered by the Polluxian natives, who view the jaguarundi as servants of the Great Mother Goddess, little is known about this unusual feline species.