Cat and mouse game

Posted on 16 Aug 2016 @ 6:04pm by Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Ensign Mimi

2,835 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Episode 11 - Divinum Mundi
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 5 Holodeck one
Timeline: MD37 Time 1800

ON:

Allyndra was still intrigued by Ensign Mimi. She had made some assumptions about her physiology but the Ensign had somewhat declined letting her test some of her theories.

She had thought about it a bit and decided to more or less set up a bit of game though the Ensign would not know that. She had invited her to a picnic on the holodeck. The invitation had read: 'Please join me for a picnic supper on holodeck one. I would love to show you my world for there is nothing like Ring Rise."

The day had arrived and Allyndra true to her word had prepared a nice picnic using her ever improving culinary skills along with a selection of Akkadian dishes. She had arrived and set the scene in a lovely meadow boardered by the lush forest. The time was near sunset on a High Spring Day with the Twins just gaining the full strength of warmth. What Allyndra did not say was just beyound the forest would be a recreation of not Akkadia but the thrid planet out, Anesidora. The part of the titanic shield volcano was covered in thick dense forest and full of very dangerous creatures and plants. One could run but not far for further one went down one would reach the zone where the thick reducing atmosphere caused tempreatures to rise and no oxygen existed. There would be enough safe guards in place but it should be very very challenging.

Mimi stepped onto the holodeck and looked around, she'd never been to a picnic before so had no idea what to expect nor what to wear so she'd picked a pair of grey leggings and a white blouse. As she looked around she spotted Allyndra not too far away. "This place looks beautiful Commander."

Allyndra waved and patted to the cloth she had set out on the ground. "Welcome!" she called. The flight dress would prove to be the easier for her to fly and to move. She waited while Mimi came over and stood making a small curtsey, "Blessings of the Twins on you." She made a motion with her hands to indicate the twin suns just almost touching the waves. The field was elevated but had a good overlook of the ocean.

A little unsure what to say back Mimi curtsey'd back and thanked Allyndra. "I was a little surprised by your invitation Commander."

"Not at all. As I mentioned, just curious about your kind and besides I know what it is like to be something of an odditiy. It sometimes is hard to make friends. So I thought why not. Anyway, I picked a selection of foods that I hope you might like. If I guess your kind of physiology correctly more meat based should be more satisfying. I have fish, chicken and beef dishes. I will say there is nothing alcoholic though. Help yourself."

Mimi sat herelf down and looked at the plates then started to pick and choose herself a meal. "You're right, I prefer meat, especially fish as often as I can." She noticed that Allyndra hadn't taken any food just a glass of a strange liquid. "Are you not having anything?"

"No a little Blood flower juice is fine for me. I cannot eat that kind of food." Allyndra then showed those sharp inner teeth briefly. "Akkadians are mostly optional hematophages."

"Hematophage?" Mimi said taking her time with the complex word, she recognised parts of it but she wasn't quite sure so she took a slightly educated guess. "You drink blood?"

"That is correct, we imbibe blood but also drink a lot of sugary substances. I hope that does not overly frighten you. There are many that find that disturbing. Anyway, blood flower is just a very sweet red juice if you would like to try some."

"I have a very low taste for sweet things." Mimi said picking at the food on her plate "Comes from being a meat eater the Cmo told me. It's one bit of my cat side I don't like as treats like cake and ice cream look and smell so nice but it all tastes really........" She couldn't think of the right term to use.

"Odd." Allyndra replied. "Well there is other drink, water, tea, coffee I put in there." She took her seat and poured a glass of the blood flower juice. She then turned the conversation waving the glass after a sip toward the twin suns now starting to sink into the sea. "We call them the Twins. There is a bit of mythology to that. Anyway, Akkadia is a water world, mostly islands strung like beads across the sea. I miss it so much but at least I have it. I sorrow for you that you do not know yours."

Mimi poured herself some tea "I know a little about my original homeworld. My mother was pregnant with me and my sister when they left to set up the colony where I was born. It is mostly water too with 1 huge island where almost all the Nekomi live and thousands of small ones."

"Interesting," Allyndra replied. "A large island continent would most likely then imply mostly plains dotted here and there with forests and might account for you species becoming the dominant one." She mused on that. Though she had come up the Academy in medicine and psychology that did not mean that she was not interested in other sciences. It was part of the leftover A'ksu that infused her genetics. There was a sound from the jungle just beyound and Allyndra looked in that direction.

"Odd, that is not something that should be there," she said and stood. "I will be back." Allyndra moved off a bit and then took to her wings and disappeared over the edge of the trees that surrounded the open space.

Mimi watched as Allyndra flew off amazed at the grace she possessed, she continued picking at her food until several minutes had passed and it looked like Allyndra wasn't returning any time soon. Standing up Mimi searched the treeline for any sign of her; seeing nothing she took a deep breath and set off to search for her.

The jungle was cleverly designed to change to Anesidoran one. There were sounds all around, buzzing, calls. Large flowers lay in a small clearing, they were beautiful ablaze with colour and fragrance.

The scent receptors in Mimi's nose were on fire as she neared a clearing just ahead. The scent of the flowers ahead of her was very strong but strangely attracting and soon she found herself in amongst them. Her ears and tail twitched, something didn't feel quite right.

A strange wooshing sound suddenly came from nearby and out of the corner of her eye she saw a group of dart like objects coming straight for her. Quickly dodging out of the path of the projectiles Mimi dropped down low into a defensive posture all Nekomi were taught in their early teens, ears flattened back and her tail tucked in close to her body as she looked for the attacker. Another wooshing sound followed a few seconds later and this time she saw its source; a strange cloud of pollen burst from one of the plants sending a volley of darts at her.

Dancing off to the side she avoided this second volley, realising the clearing she was in was packed with similar plants Mimi ran, covering the whole clearing in a mere seconds.

Off to one side and sudden gutteral roar sounded and then crashing. Something big, heavy and fast was charging through the bushes. A few moments later a creature on four heavy legs supporting an equally heavy body burst into remaining clearing. It was easily the size or larger of a Terran elephant but armoured with thick plates and four wicked horns projecting from a frilled head. The darts from the flowers bounced off the thick plates and the creature spent a moment swinging its massive head back and forth before conical ears picked up Mimi's sound. The creature bellowed and then lunged after, surprisingly fast for such a heavy body.

"Keelah." Mimi blurted out as she saw the huge creature running towards her. She started running again but the creature kept pace, looking back to see how far away it was she unknowingly ran straight into a series of roots and tripped. Managing to roll and keep her feet she looked around and saw she had no where else to go without the creature catching her but the way she had came. Stepping out of the tangling roots Mimi dropped into a squat altering her stance so she would run on her toes, with the creature still barreling towards her she hissed, bared her teeth and started sprinting full speed directly at it.

The creature bellowed and lowered its head intending on impaling Mimi on its horns but miliseconds before it would have ran her down Mimi released the coiled up energy in her legs and leapt upwards only just managing to clear the massive bulk of the creature. Landing on all fours she quickly resumed sprinting away.

Above Allyndra watched but had kept out of sight. Of course the safety protocols were in place but she was curious still. The ground had been sloping away gently and in general the movement now was toward the edge of the habital zone. She moved and flitted above for a moment as though looking and moved further onward. The edge was not too far and she covered the space and disappeared as the forest did not offer much sight.

The creature had given up the chase a couple of minute ago and Mimi had stopped to regain her breath, she heard a flapping sound nearby and looking upwards just in time to see a human shaped objected flying away, she wasn't sure but it looked like Allyndra but if it was she showed no signs that she had spotted or was even looking for Mimi. Managing to get a general gist of where she was heading Mimi started off in that direction and soon approached what looked like another clearing.

The trees were thin here and giving way to stunted growth. Not more then about a kilometer and a half lay thick clouds. They marked the edge of the habital zone and the clouds that enshrouded the rest of Anesidora in carbon dioxide. In the trees above came a squeaking and rustling. Creatures akin to Terran bats nested amoung the branches but these were easily twice the size of the fruit bat. Bones of other animals littered the thin covering of the forest floor indicating that these things feed on something more than fruit.
A bellow came from the forest of the horned creature.

Mimi stopped dead still as she heard the strange squeaking and caught a glimpse of a sizeable flying creature nestled in a tree ahead and then several more in each tree around. Looking around she realised the ground around was incredibly muddy and soft underfoot except for the area these creatures inhabited. It dawned on her the only way through was over this hard ground and to do what the animals the piles o ones belonged do didnt and not disturb them.

Keeping on her toes she carefully picked her way through the field the digitgrade aspect of her legs enabling her steps to be almost perfectly silent but for the slight crunching of leaves underfoot, she paused every time she heard the creatures rustling or squeaking but evntually she worked her way across but didnt stop sneaking till she was sure she was out of earshot of the creatures.

The horned creature had not given up yet. It was fixture of its kind that once it got something into its head it finished it. It had picked up the trail of the creature that had bounded over its head and it picked up the trail. It's eyes picked up the sight of the two legged thing moving slow and then it lowered its head, bellowed and charged. The rumble of the ground caused the flying creatures to come awake and with high pitched cries they flapped leather wings and took the air like a black vortex.

"Keelah, not again." Mimi thought she'd left the elephant like creature far behind, starting to sprint again she headed for a large patch of what looked like fog hoping to lose it in the thick cloud.

The flying creatures all screeched and then dove at the horned intruder, mobbing the monster who shook its head at the assault. The creature thundered for just a bit more and then pulled up. The Edge was near enough and it knew not to go further.

Allyndra had taken a position to observe and noted everything but now that Mimi was headed for the edge it was time to bring this little game to a close.
"Computer! End simulation!" she cried out and the scene vanished. She alighted near Mimi and exclaimed, "I am so sorry! Somehow Anesidora programming got switched into there. That is the fourth planet out and certainly not Akkadia. Are you alright?"

Mimi stopped dead still again as the holodeck reverted to its standard green and black squares. She looked around expecting something new to happen before she realised it had ended and Allyndra landed gracefully in front of her. "I am fine, what happened."

"Some glitch I think in the programming. Those perils were real creatures on Anesidora and very very dangerous. I am sorry I lost track of you. Safety protocols should have been in place but with the glitch not sure either. Are you harmed?"

"Lost track of me? were you watching me all this time?" Mimi asked slightly suspicious that the whole thing had been set up for Allyndra to assess her abilities without her knowing she was unconsciously being a lab rat.

"Only partially, every time the woods got in the way and you moved too fast. Still I have to admit that I should have shut down the simulation sooner." Allyndra cocked her head. "We have not finished our picnic after all."

"Commander, did you really call me for a picnic or was this a test?" Mimi decided to ask Allyndra straight, it could have been a serious glitch in the program but to her everything seemed too planned out, that she was meant to walk into the field of dangerous flowers and be attacked, whatever route she took she would enter the hunting ground of the flying creatures.

Allyndra cocked her head thinking if say truth or not. In the end it would be better though it might make the Ensign a little bitter but better then wonder.
"It was both actually. I knew you would never agree to me asking directly but it is a characteristic of my species to be terribly curious."

"I might have eventually." Mimi countered. "Like I said at the time I didn't feel ready for it then."

"Quite, but it has allowed me both personally and professionally to get to know more about your species" Allyndra then dropped into a deep curtsy which was the way of her kind and the deepness expressed a high respect.
"I apologize Mimi for the subterfuge and can only beg that you will in the course of time forgive me for it." Allyndra held the pose as though talking to a senior Guild person

Mimi's expression gradually changed into a smile. "Nekomi do not hold grudges Commander, I forgive you."

Allyndra stood up and shook her head. "Please Allyndra. I do not like rank unless the need arises and just so you know Warraquim is my Guild house name. Too many use it as a surname." Allyndra had used the easier to pronounce form of her name without all the sing song and slight trills that the formal pronounciation would entail.

"It is certainly easier for me to say." Mimi said before she completly failed to stifle a mild yawn. "Sorry, all that speed tires me out rather quick."

"Well l still have the picnic and it is real food, cooked by my own hand. Please, as a peace offering." Allyndra pointed the real basket still full of her culinary skills.

"I could certainly do with a snack now." Mimi said sitting herself down on the bare holodeck floor.

Allyndra took a seat and took a drink. "Help yourself Mimi. I would appreciate any comments on the quality and taste. Sadly I cannot enjoy much of it myself."

"It is kayoo baik Allyndra, very good." Mimi said after sampling some more of Allyndra's cooking. "For someone who can't eat most of this you're a good cook."

They talked a little more about things in general, the kind of light conversation that two friends might enjoy.

---
LCmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Ensign Mimi
Operations Officer
USS Galileo

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