Star Trek: Bendross
Episode 31
Untranquility Base
By
Jay P. Hailey
And
The Bendross Players
(Summer 2094)

As Expedition One settled over the landing zone, Hamilton was experiencing a very strange form of split personality. His pilot's persona was in charge, calm, methodical, and unflappable. "A thousand meters." He called off.

Inside Hamilton could feel his brain making laps around the inside of his skull "A WHOLE NEW PLANET!!!" It Screeched "I'M LANDING ON A WHOLE NEW PLANET!!!"

As if to reinforce the notion that it was in control. Hamilton's blas‚ pilot persona killed the lateral drift. It was showing off, being "Super-Pilot." Hamilton went with the urge.

"Nine hundred meters." Hamilton noted his rate of descent. It was the merest touch quick. He'd slow it down under one hundred meters.

Hamilton looked out his window to get a sense of the horizon. "I LIVE HERE, NOW!!!" his mind shrieked inside.

"Five hundred meters." Hamilton called out. He looked over at Rudy. Rudy looked back and said deapan calm "Engine temperatures are good."

Hamilton thought he saw something in Rudy's face. So for a brief moment he let what he was feeling out. Hamilton's eyes bugged out, he grimaced widely, whispered "A new planet, Dude!" and quickly flapped his hands in front of his face, almost hard enough to hurt his wrists.

As he recovered his deadpan face and placed his hands back on the controls, Hamilton saw Rudy's eyes go wide and loll around his head "holy shit." Rudy whispered back.

Then Rudy regained his pilot's face. Hamilton stole a quick look over his shoulder. Martin had the weapons blister rolled out. He looked at Hamilton and nodded gravely. "Yes, I am quite apeshit, too." His face seemed to say, calmly.

Michelle was boggling out the window in unrestrained tourist mode, grinning and pointing.

Jon Dou was grinning and looking too. Catching Hamilton's eye she pointed out the front. "Land the goddamned plane, flyboy!"

Hamilton stuck his tongue out at her and turned back into the control panel and his pilot's persona. "Four hundred meters." His dead pan voice was rock solid.

"Looking good." Rudy said, his voice calm and dead-pan.

The field of grass waved away from the bottom of Expedition One. Hamilton was balancing fusion rocket thrust against the Antigravity effect of the CDP drive, carefully. On full Fusion thrust, Expedition One could slag a large circle of the valley to glass like ruin. None of the Expedition One crew considered this. They came from a world of persistent and horrible ecological damage. "Not his time" was their common consensus.

"Twenty meters." Hamilton called out. Now was the time of maximum alertness. Expedition One was very fault tolerant and tough. It could probably survive a drop from this altitude. The crew was a different matter. And that didn't account for whatever surprises this new world held for them.

"I have Gradieaux." Martin called. "he's approaching."

"Ten meters." Hamilton's voice sounded supernaturally calm to his ears. "If we have to do a full power abort, he's dead meat."

"Noted. Continue with the landing." Martin said, with equal smoothness.

"Landing gear deploying... locked. We have four green lights." Rudy reported.

"Five meters, Cutting Fusion drive." Hamilton said.

"And, three, two one, zero." Expedition One settled quietly on the grassy plain. Hamilton stopped and savored the moment. "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has Landed."

Martin was up and moving. "We know that the environment is safe, else Gradieaux wouldn't be here." He grabbed a Gauss rifle off the rack. He also took a set of Binoculars. Vasquez was right behind him. "Hamilton, Rudy, keep this thing running and ready to go."

Rudy turned, "Martin, Commander Keans asked us to stay hear and do the preliminary survey."

Martin nodded "We will. I just want to be able to run if there's an ugly surprise in the next few minutes."

Hamilton Shrugged. "We're the wheel men."

Rudy grinned.

Kerenski took a deep breath as he cycled the air lock inner door and then the outer one. The air of the new world swirled into the cabin of Expedition One.

Martin stepped quickly down the steps that folded down to the surface. He felt the sun on his face, a breeze carried the wonderful smell of life to him. The Horizon was miles away and rising to the east mountains hovered soundlessly ponderous in the sky.

Out the door to the south the tree line marked a forest. Birds flew in the sky away from this new invader to their turf.

Martin took a deep breath and then saw Gradieaux pelting across the shin - high grass towards them.

-*-

Jacques Gradieaux threw his spear and animal skin bag aside as he ran. A ship, a civilized ship!

As he approached, the hatch opened and out stepped a very large man. He was holding a gauss rifle of the type used by the Colonists. His manner was alert but very self contained. Behind him there was Linda Vasquez, the American marine.

Gradieaux burbled happily as he approached. "[It's been so long, thank God for you!]"

Kerenski saw a gaunt, stick figure of a man, with wild hair and beard, wild eyes, wearing the shreds of a brown Bendross-I jumpsuit, patched with weird strings and thongs evidently made from the dead bodies of various animals, with a vest of animal skin. He was dirty, and showed scars in various places. Gradieaux moved well though, he was still in reasonably good condition.

Looking behind Gradieaux at the tree line Kerenski said "[A Pleasure to meet you. Please step aboard the craft.]"

The formality of the tone and excruciatingly correct accent almost made Gradieaux boggle. It was a very different story than living in the woods with the animals and monsters. Gradieaux saw the blue, crisp jump suit with all the patches, zippers and pockets intact, on a man who appeared freshly bathed, with a fresh haircut and freshly shaved.

Gradieaux turned and scanned the tree line with bare, hate filled eyes. "]The bastards are there. As curious as monkeys they are. They never leave you alone. ]"

Suddenly Gradieaux recalled one of several wishes he'd made fervently over the last eight years.

He turned and raced up the stairs to Expedition One.

Martin brought his binoculars to his eyes. With the imaging programs activated, Martin was able to pick out forms in the trees. They looked like monkeys. Except - That one was holding a spear. And that one over there had a necklace and a vest. Martin realized that he was looking at the native species. "Hello there." He murmured to himself.

They were well hidden. Without the sniper scope functions of the binoculars he'd wouldn't have made them as soon. Martin measured carefully. The natives showed varied skills at camouflage and concealment. Some he'd have spotted but others he wouldn't have. Martin's tactical thought process whispered "Guerillas, local defense militia" in his ear.

They were armed with spears. Martin guessed knives as well. Possibly some sort of bow.

Gradieaux bombed back down the stairs of Expedition One

Martin, engaged in examination of his new neighbors took a moment to take his eyes out of his binoculars. When he did, he found Gradieaux standing nearby raising a gauss rifle to his shoulder to fire into the tree line. Could Gradieaux see them? Was he attacking a specific target?

"[You animals will know who you've fucked with, now.]" Gradieaux snarled.

Martin reached out and grabbed Gradieaux's gauss rifle at a carefully observed point of balance. He whipped the rifle around his body dragging the surprised survivor around with it. Gradieaux wound up lying on his back, empty handed, staring up at Kerenski. His surprise was more compounded when he found Vasquez' rifle pointing down into his face.

Kerenski leaned over and looked into Gradieaux's face. "No one fires without my say so. Is that clear, Mister Gradieaux?"

Gradieaux rolled to his feet snarling "[You have no idea what you've done! Those things killed Maria and Allison! They are the most dangerous animals on this god-forsaken rock! ]"

Martin cocked an eye at the forest. "They're carrying artifacts, and wearing jewelry. Those are people."

"[ Alien Monster BASTARDS! ]" Gradieaux shrieked.

"You sure you don't want me to shoot him?" Vasquez asked. Her gun never wavered an iota off Gradieaux's face.

"Puta," Gradieaux snarled, "[You are an uncultured thug from the home land of Mickey Mouse, the American lack of education, culture and soul appears clearly in you, but still you are a thousand times better than those murderous apes! ]"

"Do I even want to know what he said?" Vasquez asked.

Martin's deadpan was very faintly wry. "He said you're from Southern California, and that he likes you better than the natives."

"Uh huh." Vasquez knew that this wasn't all there was to Gradieaux's statement. "If you want him fragged, say it."

Kerenski sighed. "Gradieaux, you're under arrest. Get aboard Expedition one and stay there."

Gradieaux considered rebelling. Then he shrugged an eloquent French shrug "You will find out. When you understand, come see me. I can show you how they move, and how to kill them."

He turned and marched up the stairs into Expedition One.

Kerenski handed the third gauss rifle back to Vasquez. "Make sure he gets treated and put to bed."

"Can I belt him if he gets out of line?" Vasquez asked

"If I told you no, would you belt him anyway?" Kerenski asked.

"Goddamned faggot thinks he's God's gift,"

Martin turned towards the tress and raised his binoculars again "I hope he didn't poison the well too badly. Be nice to have some friends."

"Optimist." Vasquez sneered. At his sidelong glance, she hastily added "Sir." She turned back towards Expedition One

 

-*-

Stares-into-Night watched the Forest Demons carefully as the short one with the black mane went back into the star hat, Following the original Forest Dermon.

Sees-Far slid up next to him. "Those black things are definitely weapons. The way the small one threatened our Forest Demon with his made that plain."

Stares-into-Night shivered and shook his head wonderingly. "Am I dreaming, or did the big Blue One deny our Forest Demon a weapon?"

"The Big Blue one appears to be the hunt-leader, for all I can make out."

"Maybe the Big Blue one is the female and she's mad at our Forest Demon for staying out too long?" Stares-into-Night said. "We must beware of making unwarranted assumptions here."

Sees-Far Hunkered down unhappily. "The way Big Blue threw Our Forest Demon around it looks immensely strong. It would take two of us to lift the Forest Demon, at a guess."

Stares-Into-Night nodded "It looked like a leverage issue. With those long stiff stilts of legs, they'd be vulnerable to that."

Sandy-Coat and Finds-Things slid up to Sees-Far. "Hunt-Leader, we've seen several of the Rock-Skin hunters fleeing. So did Drop-Rock and Bites-Toe."

Sees-Far looked at the youngsters. They didn't look nearly as scared as he felt. Sees-Far rubbed his belly where scars marked his own encounter with a raptor. These kids didn't respect pain and injury or death as much as they might.

Sees-Far looked at Stares-into-Night and saw him making a similar calculation. "Sandy-Coat, Finds things, you will carry our first report back to Strong-Voice."

Sandy-Coat bowed, making his body parallel with the branch quickly. He'd been impressed by the events of the day. Quickly Finds-Things copied him.

Arranging their story, Stares-into-Night, Sees-Far, Sandy-Coat and Finds Things all agreed on what was seen. Soon, a coherent account of the unbelievable was set, and the two young people bounced off through the trees with speed and boundless energy.

-*-

Freshly bathed and with shaven scalp and face. Jacques Gradieaux piled into ship board rations like it was going to be his last meal.

"They say 'unger is the best spice. Once again, I find it to be true." He chortled.

"You seem to have done alright for yourself." Jon Dou said. She was lying. Gradieaux was a half starved mass of scars and wounds that had healed untreated. Fortunately Jon Dou had worked the Emergency Rooms of Los Angeles County Hospital in her youth. Gradieaux looked about like some one who'd been homeless on the streets of Los Angeles for four to five years. Jon Dou knew that for treatment, he needed regular, nutritious food, Psychological counseling and perhaps she could repair some of his internal damage surgically.

"I am fortunate, madam healer. I was a forward scout in the French Army during the War. I survived the war behind enemy lines in the Eastern Coalition. My training and experiences there helped me. But eight years...." Gradieaux shuddered and looked haunted. "That is a long time."

Jon Dou quickly asked. "Tell me about this Place. You're the expert. Can the Bendross-I land her people here?"

Gradieaux shuddered again. "If we could keep those women in cold sleep and build a new Warp Drive with our bare hands, better to dump them back on Earth than this god-forsaken place. " he pulled himself together. "Yes, yes. With proper weapons and some caution it should be easily accomplished. We'll need to exterminate those murderous animals in the trees, and clear the land of the cow-snakes. Once the cow-snakes are gone, the raptors that hunt them will leave in search easier hunting grounds."

"Cow-Snakes?" Jon Dou prompted.

"Yes, they seem like snakes, but herbivores. They eat the grass. Like cows. I killed one early on. Their meat is good, but they are so large that when aroused, it is difficult to avoid them. And the smell of blood draws raptors." Gradieaux explained.

"Raptors. You mean like in Jurassic Park? Those Raptors?" Jon Dou looked at Gradieaux. Was he kidding?

Gradieaux, French to the core feigned ignorance "Jurassic - ? Is that one of your Hollywood movies? I suppose so. I do not poison my mind with such trash. I liken them to Deinonychus in the cretaceous era."

Jon Dou suppressed an urge to slap Gradieaux. She had the feeling it was a skill she'd be practicing a lot.

-*-

A new Hunter slid into the spot where Stares-into-Night and Sees-Far watched the star hat. The big blue demon and the smaller one with the black mane were obviously on watch.

"I am True-Spear, of the Rock Skin tribe." He extended his nose. Both Stares-into-Night and Sees-Far exchanged sniffs, learning the new hunter's smell, and he, theirs.

"I propose an alliance between our tribes. " True-Spear "We feel that we must launch an immediate counter attack. If the Demons see us as weak it will invite them to encroach on our territory and our world more."

Sees-Far shook his head. "There is far, far too much we don't know at this point. You saw those black stick-things they were waving around. What manner of weapons are those and what are their qualities? Will a single spear bring down the big blue female over there, or will it be like hunting the snake cows?"

True-Spear was intent and determined. "The Sky Demons cast us out of paradise, slaughtered our wizards, and destroyed our cities. We must not let them think they have defeated us."

"There is some question of whether the Wizards called down the Sky Demons by invading the realm of the Gods, or seeking forbidden knowledge, True-Spear. Again, there is too much about this that we simply don't know." Stares-into-Night.

True-Spear looked at Stares-into-Night with disgust. "You speak as thought you aspire to be a Wizard yourself, little man. You and your weak Sunrise Tribe go ahead and watch the demons and learn all you can. In the end what you will learn is that the Rock Skins are the true protectors and masters of this forest."

True-Spear turned and slinked out of the observation point intent on arranging his assault.

"I believe he has a point," Sees-Far said, "although I believe his plans to be premature."

"I fear he is making himself bait for powerful evil magic." Stares-into-Night. "I just hope that I am not standing too close when he discovers this. When do you think he will attack?"

Sees-Far thought. "It will take time to call together a large number of hunters and warriors. A few days at least."

Stares-into-Night sighed. "We have until then to learn whatever we can, and to pray this doesn't get too stupid before we can discovery the key to it."

"When the attack comes, where will you be?"

"I will be here, watching and learning. I will not sacrifice my soft and delicate body for the glory of the Rock-Skin tribe and neither should you." Stares-into-Night said.

Sees-Far looked grim "Actually I was just thinking the same thing."