FIC: Jenniver, Happiness, Intersection (Star Trek: Entropy Effect)
Title: Jenniver, Happiness, Intersection
Characters/Pairings: Jenniver Aristeides, Neon, Snnanagfashtalli, Mandala Flynn, Spock
Rating: G
Summary: Newly assigned to Botany, Jenniver is sent with her friends on a mission to Neon's home world.
Word count: 2900
Spoilers: Extremely minor ones for The Entropy Effect.
Warnings: None needed
Notes: Written for treknovelfest, prompt #26, requesting a fic showing the friendship between Snarl, Neon, and Jenniver (OCs in the novel).
Spock was eating his meal when he heard an eerie silver laugh ring out, combined with another: low and sweet like a great golden bell. Glancing over, he saw three figures sitting at a nearby table.
The one who wasn't laughing was Ensign Snnanagfashtalli, her spotted ears pulled back warily. Snarl--no one called her that to her face--was a felinoid, her pelt a rich cream dappled with scarlet and maroon. Right now her ruby eyes were narrowed uncertainly and the tip of her tail, under the chair where no one could see it but Spock, was twitching slightly. Snnanagfashtalli was a true friend and a valuable member of Security, but no one had ever accused her of having a sense of humor.
The silvery laugh had come from a reptilian crew member: Neon, her sapphire eyes crinkled in amusement. Neon looked a great deal like a miniature Tyrannosaurus Rex, albeit one covered with iridescent scales that shimmered in the light, and bright intelligence shining in her eyes.
It was the deep, low laugh that had caught Spock's attention. It came from the only truly human member of the trio: Jenniver Aristeides. Though many might not have mistaken her for human, as the woman towered over most crew members, her skin as impermeable and gray as marble, corded with steely muscles. Genetically engineered to live on an inhospitable high-gravity planet, Jenniver's people had the solidity of statues hewn from solid rock. With her massive strength and resilience, she had been a natural in Security along with Snarl and Neon. But after the recent...events (none of which had happened, Spock reminded himself), he had been gratified to see her muster the courage to ask Chief of Security Flynn to be transferred to Botany. The blue uniform of Science suited her better than the red of Security, he noted. And he had heard her laugh seven times in the last five days.
Such shows of emotion were not always ideal, of course, but Spock was aware that they sometimes necessary for crew morale.
As he watched them, Jenniver reached out and smoothed Snnanagfashtalli's flattened ears. "We're not laughing at you, Fashtall," she said.
Snnanagfashtalli's tail lashed once. "Then why are you laughing?"
"Neon, Jenniver, Fashtall, happiness, intersection," Neon explained in her idiosyncratic English, and Snnanagfashtalli's ears flicked upward.
"Oh. Very well then," she said, grooming her shoulder fur briefly. "You may continue."
Spock had little use for aesthetics as a field, but he decided most human standards of judgment would classify Jenniver Aristeides' laugh as "beautiful."
: : :
"But...why us?"
Jenniver's blank astonishment was met with a hand wave from Mandala Flynn. "Doctor McCoy says we need some lichen to synthesize a cure for the plague on Bracas V. The volcanic rock of Kiberia is the only place that the lichen grows. Neon is Kiberian, and the three of you work well together. You're a logical choice for the away team."
"Mandala, Vulcan, separation," Neon noted, and Mandala threw back her head and laughed, the deep, throaty laugh that shook her whole body.
"No, I'm not much of a Vulcan," she agreed. "But I still think you're the ideal team. Snnanagfashtalli and Neon will be the perfect guards for Jenniver, who can sort out which lichen we need."
Jenniver felt trepidation tingling in her sinews. Her first away mission in Botany--! She prayed she didn't mess it up and let everyone down. The responsibility weighed her shoulders in a way the Enterprise's feeble gravity never could, but she squared them and met Commander Flynn's eyes. "I'll do my best, sir."
Mandala's smile was crooked and affectionate. "I know you will."
A few hours later, Jenniver's eyes cleared from the blur of the transporter effect to find herself standing in what seemed to be a town square. The air was hot and humid, scented with strange flowers. The three of them were surrounded by inquisitive iridescent tyrannosaurs, tilting their heads and dropping their jaws in what Jenniver recognized from Neon as a Kiberian smile. One of the larger ones spoke to Neon in her own language and she responded, the conversation sounding like a demented calliope. Then the large Kiberian spread its hands to the three Federation crew. "Kiberia, Federation, intersection, welcome."
Jenniver and Snnanagfashtalli bowed politely--well, Snnanagfashtalli sort of bobbed up and down. "Thank you for your kind welcome," Jenniver said carefully. Kiberians could understand standard English perfectly well, although their expression of it was odd. Neon had tried to explain why to Jenniver once, but had left her only more confused. "Your assistance will save many lives on a distant planet."
The head Kiberian gaped in another smile and spoke quickly to Neon again. "Federation, rest, intersection; tonight," said Neon. "Federation, volcano, ascent; tomorrow." She beckoned with a diamond-tipped claw.
"I hope they have some real meat to eat," muttered Snnanagfashtalli as they followed Neon. "It would be a nice break from synthesized meat." Jenniver had given up pointing out to Fashtall that meat from the synthesizer was indistinguishable from non-replicated; her friend never believed her.
A large group of Kiberians of all sizes trailed after the three of them as they were escorted toward a small hut; the smaller ones ran past them and turned around to stare, blinking rapidly. Somehow their attention didn't bother Jenniver the way the stares of other humans did; she suspected even Mandala Flynn would get the same intense scrutiny here.
The hut was covered with vines bursting with brilliant scarlet flowers. Jenniver couldn't help but stop and stare at them, their delicate golden stamens unfurling in their crimson cups. Fashtall brushed under them, flicking pollen off her ears as she entered the hut. Jenniver had to bend low to get inside; a chorus of crystalline hoots erupted from the watching Kiberians and she looked out to see them waving goodbye before running off.
The inside of the hut was spare and clean, grass mats on the floor. A porch at the back overlooked a garden so riotous and lush it made Jenniver stare in amazement. "Home," Neon said, pulling three cushions onto the porch.
"May I touch the flowers?" Jenniver asked, unable to take her eyes from them. Massive trumpet-shaped blooms on twining vines, a tree bursting with peach-colored blossoms, ground cover starred with tiny purple flowers: so many varieties, all beautiful, brimming with life.
"Permission, Jenniver, intersection. Rejection, possibility, separation," Neon grinned.
Jenniver lost herself in the garden for nearly an hour. On her home planet, flowers were non-existent: lichen, grass, and moss were the extent of plant life. A part of her ached for the austere, bleak beauty of her own world, the subtle dappled grays and beiges. Another part of her was merely drinking in the beauty, the scent and color, the sound of wind sighing through thick foliage.
There was a whirring noise near her head and she looked over to see a small lizard, no larger than a human hand, perched on a branch like a bird, peering at her. It spread its arms to reveal brilliant pink webbing between its long fingers, like a reptilian bat, and made a sweet trilling noise.
"Is this little lizard safe?" Jenniver called back to the house, and in a moment Neon's head popped out between the flowers.
"Safety, chillirrio, intersection," she reassured.
Jenniver put out a finger and gently rubbed the top of the lizard's head; it closed its eyes and made a crystalline purring noise. Neon chuckled like a glissando of bells. Then there was a sudden spatter of rain; the lizard spread its wings and launched itself into the air as drops started to fall.
Jenniver reluctantly headed back to the porch, where she found Fashtall happily dismantling a haunch of raw meat. She sat down on her own cushion and Neon handed her a bowl of flowers. "Food?" she asked, and her friend nodded, grinning again. Jenniver took a timid bite of the petals; it was spicy and sweet and oddly filling.
She was in the middle of her second flower, listening to the rain fall, when there was a whir of wings and something landed on her shoulder. Snnanagfashtalli's ears flattened. "What is that little morsel?"
The lizard chirped at Snnanagfashtalli, darting out a long, curled tongue as if in defiance, and dug its claws more deeply into Jenniver's shoulder. It might have hurt a normal human, but her skin was impervious to anything short of massive trauma. She held up a bit of flower and the lizard grabbed it and munched on it.
"You appear to have made a new friend," Snnanagfashtalli noted, her ears still flattened to her skull.
Neon cocked her head. "Name, chillirrio, requirement. Jenniver, name; bestowal, query?"
"Oh." Jenniver felt at a loss. "How about Flower?"
Snnanagfashtalli's tail lashed. "That is a silly name. I suggest Grasharrnltalli."
"Flower, name, intersection," Neon said gravely, and Snnanagfashtalli made a spitting noise and returned to her meat.
Flower bobbed up and down on Jenniver's shoulder a few times and burst into whistling song.
The meal completed, Neon ushered the two of them to a large room with a huge sunken bath full of steaming water. Fashtall's whiskers bristled alarmingly. "What is that?" she snarled.
Jenniver laughed. "It's a bath." She gazed longingly at the water; sonic showers just weren't the same. "May I?"
Neon bowed and waved a hand; Fashtall's eyes were wide with horror. "You are going to go into that?" At Jenniver's nod, she shook her head in disgust. "Just when I think you humans have lost all power to shock me," she muttered. She turned and bounded from the room. Neon winked and left as well.
"Go on," Jenniver said to Flower, waving toward the door, but the lizard just fluttered to the faucet and clung there.
The bath was hot and fragrant; Jenniver soaked a long time, listening to the rain outside. Flower discovered it was fun to land on the tiled floor and skid for a space, and spent a long time sliding back and forth, humming to itself.
By the time Jenniver dried off, her friends were already asleep on the floor, Fashtall snoring slightly. Jenniver picked a spot on the floor a safe distance away from the felinoid--she had learned early that you don't want to be too close to Snnanagfashtalli when she woke up from a nightmare--and pulled the light blanket over herself. Flower settled with a tiny chirp onto the floor next to her head, turned around three times, and closed its eyes.
Comfortable silence that faded into restful sleep.
: : :
She woke with the sun and the sound of Flower singing. Jenniver opened her eyes and stretched, looking around to find the lizard perched on the porch railing, its head tilted toward the sun, ruby throat throbbing with sound. Fashtall was eyeing it a bit hungrily, and Jenniver was relieved when Neon appeared with more food.
After eating, they geared up for the hike. The lichen, Neon explained as they ate, grew only on the sides of the great volcanoes of Kiberia. There were many varieties of lichen and it would require a careful scan to distinguish the correct one.
Snnanagfashtalli yawned, revealing a multitude of scarlet teeth. "Are there any dangers on the way? This planet seems altogether too safe to be interesting."
"Beasts," Neon said gravely, and Snnanagfashtalli's smile turned lazy and vicious.
"Good."
The villagers saw them off--the children were especially delighted by Flower, who insisted on clinging to Jenniver's uniform or her hair, unfurling its tongue at them from its safe perch. As they set off through the jungle, the little lizard launched itself from her shoulder and flew ahead now and then, returning to chirp and preen itself.
"I hope we brought enough food," Fashtall noted. "I would hate to have to eat Jenniver's pet." Jenniver had long ago given up wondering if Fashtall had a sense of humor and was teasing; there was simply no way to tell.
They walked for hours up a gradual slope, the path becoming more and more tangled and vine-blocked. Neon and Snnanagfashtalli used their phasers to cut a clearer path, or just ripped the vines apart if they were feeling impatient. As the sun rose higher, Jenniver was starting to think the mission was going to go smoothly when there was a coughing snarl from nearby. Flower gave a piercing shriek and fluttered away. Snnanagfashtalli and Neon immediately dropped to their haunches, flanking Jenniver, who stood there feeling useless and awkward. She never seemed to respond to danger with the killer instincts of her friends; quite the contrary, fear made her insides churn and her knees shake, just as they were doing now. She wanted to crouch down and make herself smaller, hide, disappear.
Without further warning, the underbrush erupted and a huge, scaly monster, all tusks and claws, threw itself at the three of them. Quicker than Jenniver could think, Neon leveled her phaser at it and fired a shot that made it stagger. Snnanagfashtalli, meanwhile, had dropped her weapon and threw herself on the creature: her usual approach in a crisis was more visceral than intellectual. She bit into its throat, worrying through its armored skin. The beast howled in pain and threw itself against a tree, attempting to dislodge her, but Fashtall hung on as grim as death. Jenniver could hear her growling through her grip. Neon shot it again and the beast batted her aside, then turned to Jenniver. Jenniver quailed, feeling a panicked scream bubbling in her throat. As it advanced, she lashed out and connected firmly with its snout; the monster blinked and squalled, then opened its mouth. Its teeth were stained with its own blood, it couldn't live much longer with Fashtall's teeth ripping its throat out, but it could gut Jenniver before then--
As it moved forward a bright streak arrowed from the sky; Flower jabbed at the beast's eyes, scolding like a demented windchime. The monster reared back and the lizard scratched at its nose, then bit at its earholes. The monster snapped at the annoyance desperately, and the distraction was enough time for Fashtall to finish ripping at its throat; it collapsed, groaning and bleeding, and did not rise again.
Jenniver was at Neon's side, tricorder out. The scan showed no major injuries beyond a sprained arm. "Pain, concern, Neon, separation," she gritted.
Fashtall was licking blood off her fur and looking very pleased with herself. "The little one is a true warrior," she said, nodding at Flower, who chirped smugly. "Shall we?"
"Continuation, travel, readiness," Neon agreed.
Jenniver felt ashamed. Of the three of them--four, counting Flower--she had done the least. So why was she the only one who seemed frightened? "Yes, let's go," she said, hoping her companions wouldn't hear the quaver in her voice.
Several times they heard more coughing roars, but they were not attacked again. A few hours later they were standing on the slopes of a volcano slope, the rocks black and steaming. Here and there were patches of tenacious lichen. They made their way over the jagged rocks, scanning carefully until Jenniver could find exactly the right specimen. She carefully scraped enough for a vial full. "This should do it," she said.
Snnanagfashtalli flipped open her communicator. "Snnanagfashtalli to Enterprise, we have the sample."
"Good work," said Scott's voice. "Prepare to beam up--"
"--Wait," Jenniver said suddenly, her throat tight. "Can't we help Flower get back to the village? I hate to strand her here alone."
Snnanagfashtalli blinked slowly at Jenniver, her face unreadable. Then she spoke into the communicator. "Sir, request permission to beam sample aboard and then return to village on foot."
There was a pause in which Jenniver assumed Scott was conferring with someone. Then the communicator came to life again. "Aye lass, the doctor says the extra hours will make naught a bit of difference in the time he'll need to synthesize the medicine."
Jenniver sighed in relief. She put the sample down and it shimmered out of existence. "Well," she said, squaring her shoulders, "Time to head back before it gets dark."
Fashtall made an odd noise, somewhere between a whine and a sigh. "You are a very strange woman," she noted. Then she perked up. "But perhaps we shall meet another of those beasts. That would be fun." She bounded ahead of them, ears high.
"I'm sorry," Jenniver muttered to Neon. "I'm making your life more difficult."
Neon tilted her head. "Friendship, difficulty, separation," she said. "Jenniver, bravery, kindness, intersection."
Jenniver laughed despite her gloom. Sometimes Neon didn't seem to understand what Jenniver was really like, but that was okay. Together they set off toward the jungle and the village.
: : :
Jenniver Aristeides is walking through the deep jungle with her two best friends. Fashtall bounds back to them with bright trumpet-shaped blossoms in her hands and slips a scarlet one into Neon's collar, tucks an azure-blue one behind Jenniver's ear. The greenery is lush and vibrant all around them, bursting with life. Neon laughs quietly and sniffs at Fashtall's gift. Fashtall throws an arm around Jenniver and rubs her head against the steely shoulder with a brief purr before leaping off again.
Jenniver is with her friends on alien planet like none she had ever imagined as a child, and when Flower bursts into joyous song it feels like Jenniver's heart has as well.
Characters/Pairings: Jenniver Aristeides, Neon, Snnanagfashtalli, Mandala Flynn, Spock
Rating: G
Summary: Newly assigned to Botany, Jenniver is sent with her friends on a mission to Neon's home world.
Word count: 2900
Spoilers: Extremely minor ones for The Entropy Effect.
Warnings: None needed
Notes: Written for treknovelfest, prompt #26, requesting a fic showing the friendship between Snarl, Neon, and Jenniver (OCs in the novel).
Spock was eating his meal when he heard an eerie silver laugh ring out, combined with another: low and sweet like a great golden bell. Glancing over, he saw three figures sitting at a nearby table.
The one who wasn't laughing was Ensign Snnanagfashtalli, her spotted ears pulled back warily. Snarl--no one called her that to her face--was a felinoid, her pelt a rich cream dappled with scarlet and maroon. Right now her ruby eyes were narrowed uncertainly and the tip of her tail, under the chair where no one could see it but Spock, was twitching slightly. Snnanagfashtalli was a true friend and a valuable member of Security, but no one had ever accused her of having a sense of humor.
The silvery laugh had come from a reptilian crew member: Neon, her sapphire eyes crinkled in amusement. Neon looked a great deal like a miniature Tyrannosaurus Rex, albeit one covered with iridescent scales that shimmered in the light, and bright intelligence shining in her eyes.
It was the deep, low laugh that had caught Spock's attention. It came from the only truly human member of the trio: Jenniver Aristeides. Though many might not have mistaken her for human, as the woman towered over most crew members, her skin as impermeable and gray as marble, corded with steely muscles. Genetically engineered to live on an inhospitable high-gravity planet, Jenniver's people had the solidity of statues hewn from solid rock. With her massive strength and resilience, she had been a natural in Security along with Snarl and Neon. But after the recent...events (none of which had happened, Spock reminded himself), he had been gratified to see her muster the courage to ask Chief of Security Flynn to be transferred to Botany. The blue uniform of Science suited her better than the red of Security, he noted. And he had heard her laugh seven times in the last five days.
Such shows of emotion were not always ideal, of course, but Spock was aware that they sometimes necessary for crew morale.
As he watched them, Jenniver reached out and smoothed Snnanagfashtalli's flattened ears. "We're not laughing at you, Fashtall," she said.
Snnanagfashtalli's tail lashed once. "Then why are you laughing?"
"Neon, Jenniver, Fashtall, happiness, intersection," Neon explained in her idiosyncratic English, and Snnanagfashtalli's ears flicked upward.
"Oh. Very well then," she said, grooming her shoulder fur briefly. "You may continue."
Spock had little use for aesthetics as a field, but he decided most human standards of judgment would classify Jenniver Aristeides' laugh as "beautiful."
: : :
"But...why us?"
Jenniver's blank astonishment was met with a hand wave from Mandala Flynn. "Doctor McCoy says we need some lichen to synthesize a cure for the plague on Bracas V. The volcanic rock of Kiberia is the only place that the lichen grows. Neon is Kiberian, and the three of you work well together. You're a logical choice for the away team."
"Mandala, Vulcan, separation," Neon noted, and Mandala threw back her head and laughed, the deep, throaty laugh that shook her whole body.
"No, I'm not much of a Vulcan," she agreed. "But I still think you're the ideal team. Snnanagfashtalli and Neon will be the perfect guards for Jenniver, who can sort out which lichen we need."
Jenniver felt trepidation tingling in her sinews. Her first away mission in Botany--! She prayed she didn't mess it up and let everyone down. The responsibility weighed her shoulders in a way the Enterprise's feeble gravity never could, but she squared them and met Commander Flynn's eyes. "I'll do my best, sir."
Mandala's smile was crooked and affectionate. "I know you will."
A few hours later, Jenniver's eyes cleared from the blur of the transporter effect to find herself standing in what seemed to be a town square. The air was hot and humid, scented with strange flowers. The three of them were surrounded by inquisitive iridescent tyrannosaurs, tilting their heads and dropping their jaws in what Jenniver recognized from Neon as a Kiberian smile. One of the larger ones spoke to Neon in her own language and she responded, the conversation sounding like a demented calliope. Then the large Kiberian spread its hands to the three Federation crew. "Kiberia, Federation, intersection, welcome."
Jenniver and Snnanagfashtalli bowed politely--well, Snnanagfashtalli sort of bobbed up and down. "Thank you for your kind welcome," Jenniver said carefully. Kiberians could understand standard English perfectly well, although their expression of it was odd. Neon had tried to explain why to Jenniver once, but had left her only more confused. "Your assistance will save many lives on a distant planet."
The head Kiberian gaped in another smile and spoke quickly to Neon again. "Federation, rest, intersection; tonight," said Neon. "Federation, volcano, ascent; tomorrow." She beckoned with a diamond-tipped claw.
"I hope they have some real meat to eat," muttered Snnanagfashtalli as they followed Neon. "It would be a nice break from synthesized meat." Jenniver had given up pointing out to Fashtall that meat from the synthesizer was indistinguishable from non-replicated; her friend never believed her.
A large group of Kiberians of all sizes trailed after the three of them as they were escorted toward a small hut; the smaller ones ran past them and turned around to stare, blinking rapidly. Somehow their attention didn't bother Jenniver the way the stares of other humans did; she suspected even Mandala Flynn would get the same intense scrutiny here.
The hut was covered with vines bursting with brilliant scarlet flowers. Jenniver couldn't help but stop and stare at them, their delicate golden stamens unfurling in their crimson cups. Fashtall brushed under them, flicking pollen off her ears as she entered the hut. Jenniver had to bend low to get inside; a chorus of crystalline hoots erupted from the watching Kiberians and she looked out to see them waving goodbye before running off.
The inside of the hut was spare and clean, grass mats on the floor. A porch at the back overlooked a garden so riotous and lush it made Jenniver stare in amazement. "Home," Neon said, pulling three cushions onto the porch.
"May I touch the flowers?" Jenniver asked, unable to take her eyes from them. Massive trumpet-shaped blooms on twining vines, a tree bursting with peach-colored blossoms, ground cover starred with tiny purple flowers: so many varieties, all beautiful, brimming with life.
"Permission, Jenniver, intersection. Rejection, possibility, separation," Neon grinned.
Jenniver lost herself in the garden for nearly an hour. On her home planet, flowers were non-existent: lichen, grass, and moss were the extent of plant life. A part of her ached for the austere, bleak beauty of her own world, the subtle dappled grays and beiges. Another part of her was merely drinking in the beauty, the scent and color, the sound of wind sighing through thick foliage.
There was a whirring noise near her head and she looked over to see a small lizard, no larger than a human hand, perched on a branch like a bird, peering at her. It spread its arms to reveal brilliant pink webbing between its long fingers, like a reptilian bat, and made a sweet trilling noise.
"Is this little lizard safe?" Jenniver called back to the house, and in a moment Neon's head popped out between the flowers.
"Safety, chillirrio, intersection," she reassured.
Jenniver put out a finger and gently rubbed the top of the lizard's head; it closed its eyes and made a crystalline purring noise. Neon chuckled like a glissando of bells. Then there was a sudden spatter of rain; the lizard spread its wings and launched itself into the air as drops started to fall.
Jenniver reluctantly headed back to the porch, where she found Fashtall happily dismantling a haunch of raw meat. She sat down on her own cushion and Neon handed her a bowl of flowers. "Food?" she asked, and her friend nodded, grinning again. Jenniver took a timid bite of the petals; it was spicy and sweet and oddly filling.
She was in the middle of her second flower, listening to the rain fall, when there was a whir of wings and something landed on her shoulder. Snnanagfashtalli's ears flattened. "What is that little morsel?"
The lizard chirped at Snnanagfashtalli, darting out a long, curled tongue as if in defiance, and dug its claws more deeply into Jenniver's shoulder. It might have hurt a normal human, but her skin was impervious to anything short of massive trauma. She held up a bit of flower and the lizard grabbed it and munched on it.
"You appear to have made a new friend," Snnanagfashtalli noted, her ears still flattened to her skull.
Neon cocked her head. "Name, chillirrio, requirement. Jenniver, name; bestowal, query?"
"Oh." Jenniver felt at a loss. "How about Flower?"
Snnanagfashtalli's tail lashed. "That is a silly name. I suggest Grasharrnltalli."
"Flower, name, intersection," Neon said gravely, and Snnanagfashtalli made a spitting noise and returned to her meat.
Flower bobbed up and down on Jenniver's shoulder a few times and burst into whistling song.
The meal completed, Neon ushered the two of them to a large room with a huge sunken bath full of steaming water. Fashtall's whiskers bristled alarmingly. "What is that?" she snarled.
Jenniver laughed. "It's a bath." She gazed longingly at the water; sonic showers just weren't the same. "May I?"
Neon bowed and waved a hand; Fashtall's eyes were wide with horror. "You are going to go into that?" At Jenniver's nod, she shook her head in disgust. "Just when I think you humans have lost all power to shock me," she muttered. She turned and bounded from the room. Neon winked and left as well.
"Go on," Jenniver said to Flower, waving toward the door, but the lizard just fluttered to the faucet and clung there.
The bath was hot and fragrant; Jenniver soaked a long time, listening to the rain outside. Flower discovered it was fun to land on the tiled floor and skid for a space, and spent a long time sliding back and forth, humming to itself.
By the time Jenniver dried off, her friends were already asleep on the floor, Fashtall snoring slightly. Jenniver picked a spot on the floor a safe distance away from the felinoid--she had learned early that you don't want to be too close to Snnanagfashtalli when she woke up from a nightmare--and pulled the light blanket over herself. Flower settled with a tiny chirp onto the floor next to her head, turned around three times, and closed its eyes.
Comfortable silence that faded into restful sleep.
: : :
She woke with the sun and the sound of Flower singing. Jenniver opened her eyes and stretched, looking around to find the lizard perched on the porch railing, its head tilted toward the sun, ruby throat throbbing with sound. Fashtall was eyeing it a bit hungrily, and Jenniver was relieved when Neon appeared with more food.
After eating, they geared up for the hike. The lichen, Neon explained as they ate, grew only on the sides of the great volcanoes of Kiberia. There were many varieties of lichen and it would require a careful scan to distinguish the correct one.
Snnanagfashtalli yawned, revealing a multitude of scarlet teeth. "Are there any dangers on the way? This planet seems altogether too safe to be interesting."
"Beasts," Neon said gravely, and Snnanagfashtalli's smile turned lazy and vicious.
"Good."
The villagers saw them off--the children were especially delighted by Flower, who insisted on clinging to Jenniver's uniform or her hair, unfurling its tongue at them from its safe perch. As they set off through the jungle, the little lizard launched itself from her shoulder and flew ahead now and then, returning to chirp and preen itself.
"I hope we brought enough food," Fashtall noted. "I would hate to have to eat Jenniver's pet." Jenniver had long ago given up wondering if Fashtall had a sense of humor and was teasing; there was simply no way to tell.
They walked for hours up a gradual slope, the path becoming more and more tangled and vine-blocked. Neon and Snnanagfashtalli used their phasers to cut a clearer path, or just ripped the vines apart if they were feeling impatient. As the sun rose higher, Jenniver was starting to think the mission was going to go smoothly when there was a coughing snarl from nearby. Flower gave a piercing shriek and fluttered away. Snnanagfashtalli and Neon immediately dropped to their haunches, flanking Jenniver, who stood there feeling useless and awkward. She never seemed to respond to danger with the killer instincts of her friends; quite the contrary, fear made her insides churn and her knees shake, just as they were doing now. She wanted to crouch down and make herself smaller, hide, disappear.
Without further warning, the underbrush erupted and a huge, scaly monster, all tusks and claws, threw itself at the three of them. Quicker than Jenniver could think, Neon leveled her phaser at it and fired a shot that made it stagger. Snnanagfashtalli, meanwhile, had dropped her weapon and threw herself on the creature: her usual approach in a crisis was more visceral than intellectual. She bit into its throat, worrying through its armored skin. The beast howled in pain and threw itself against a tree, attempting to dislodge her, but Fashtall hung on as grim as death. Jenniver could hear her growling through her grip. Neon shot it again and the beast batted her aside, then turned to Jenniver. Jenniver quailed, feeling a panicked scream bubbling in her throat. As it advanced, she lashed out and connected firmly with its snout; the monster blinked and squalled, then opened its mouth. Its teeth were stained with its own blood, it couldn't live much longer with Fashtall's teeth ripping its throat out, but it could gut Jenniver before then--
As it moved forward a bright streak arrowed from the sky; Flower jabbed at the beast's eyes, scolding like a demented windchime. The monster reared back and the lizard scratched at its nose, then bit at its earholes. The monster snapped at the annoyance desperately, and the distraction was enough time for Fashtall to finish ripping at its throat; it collapsed, groaning and bleeding, and did not rise again.
Jenniver was at Neon's side, tricorder out. The scan showed no major injuries beyond a sprained arm. "Pain, concern, Neon, separation," she gritted.
Fashtall was licking blood off her fur and looking very pleased with herself. "The little one is a true warrior," she said, nodding at Flower, who chirped smugly. "Shall we?"
"Continuation, travel, readiness," Neon agreed.
Jenniver felt ashamed. Of the three of them--four, counting Flower--she had done the least. So why was she the only one who seemed frightened? "Yes, let's go," she said, hoping her companions wouldn't hear the quaver in her voice.
Several times they heard more coughing roars, but they were not attacked again. A few hours later they were standing on the slopes of a volcano slope, the rocks black and steaming. Here and there were patches of tenacious lichen. They made their way over the jagged rocks, scanning carefully until Jenniver could find exactly the right specimen. She carefully scraped enough for a vial full. "This should do it," she said.
Snnanagfashtalli flipped open her communicator. "Snnanagfashtalli to Enterprise, we have the sample."
"Good work," said Scott's voice. "Prepare to beam up--"
"--Wait," Jenniver said suddenly, her throat tight. "Can't we help Flower get back to the village? I hate to strand her here alone."
Snnanagfashtalli blinked slowly at Jenniver, her face unreadable. Then she spoke into the communicator. "Sir, request permission to beam sample aboard and then return to village on foot."
There was a pause in which Jenniver assumed Scott was conferring with someone. Then the communicator came to life again. "Aye lass, the doctor says the extra hours will make naught a bit of difference in the time he'll need to synthesize the medicine."
Jenniver sighed in relief. She put the sample down and it shimmered out of existence. "Well," she said, squaring her shoulders, "Time to head back before it gets dark."
Fashtall made an odd noise, somewhere between a whine and a sigh. "You are a very strange woman," she noted. Then she perked up. "But perhaps we shall meet another of those beasts. That would be fun." She bounded ahead of them, ears high.
"I'm sorry," Jenniver muttered to Neon. "I'm making your life more difficult."
Neon tilted her head. "Friendship, difficulty, separation," she said. "Jenniver, bravery, kindness, intersection."
Jenniver laughed despite her gloom. Sometimes Neon didn't seem to understand what Jenniver was really like, but that was okay. Together they set off toward the jungle and the village.
: : :
Jenniver Aristeides is walking through the deep jungle with her two best friends. Fashtall bounds back to them with bright trumpet-shaped blossoms in her hands and slips a scarlet one into Neon's collar, tucks an azure-blue one behind Jenniver's ear. The greenery is lush and vibrant all around them, bursting with life. Neon laughs quietly and sniffs at Fashtall's gift. Fashtall throws an arm around Jenniver and rubs her head against the steely shoulder with a brief purr before leaping off again.
Jenniver is with her friends on alien planet like none she had ever imagined as a child, and when Flower bursts into joyous song it feels like Jenniver's heart has as well.