dark_ages | landing party ( for thecanarylives )

landing party ( for thecanarylives )

[ He comes to with his head pounding, his vision blurred, and a persistent ringing in his ears. It takes him a while-- a good while, maybe seconds or maybe minutes, to even regain his vision properly, and to take in his surroundings. He's in a shuttle, which is completely wrecked, panels broken and burnt, wires hanging from everywhere, sparks going off and small fires here or there. They're also tilted forward slightly, so he can feel his weight pushing against the belts keeping him strapped to his chair. He looks beyond the window and he sees a lush forest just outside, trees and blue skies as far as the eye can see. It'd be pretty if not for the fact that they've clearly crashed on the planet they were supposed to land on.

Shit. Holy shit, they crashed. How the fuck did they crash? Leonard just wanted to gather some samples from the surface, it didn't even warrant a landing party bigger than two people, how the fuck did they end up like this?

That thought gets his brain into gear. Because he's not alone. He looks over to find Sara passed out, though at least thankfully still strapped to her seat. He lets out a shuddered breath, trying not to panic as he struggles to undo his own safety belt. ]

Sara!! Come on, you piece of shi-- [ His panicked grousing is cut off as his belt comes undone, and he just barely manages to brace himself against the controls rather than slam right into them. Head still spinning, he nevertheless forces himself to stumble towards her, looking her over briefly for possible injuries before he cups her face, trying to wake her up. ] Sara. Hey, can you hear me? Come on, open your eyes...

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I did want the samples. There's a good likelihood that the most abundant plant on this planet has exceptional healing abilities. I hoped to synthesize a medicine from it.

[ He sighs, resting his head back. ]

Wouldn't go this far to get you alone. Usually I just ask, you know. Besides, Jim was the one who paired you with me.

Do these magic plants heal concussions?

[ She rests her cheek on the blanket, letting her eyes droop closed after a moment. ]

Joke's on you. I'm a good time.

They might be able to speed up the healing process. It's dangerous to try and use them in their natural state without knowing for sure if they may have unwanted consequences.

[ He knows what she's thinking, and it's just not a good idea at all. He bites back a smile at her last remark, not glancing at her as he answers. ]

You are, yes. Never said otherwise.

So we shouldn't try to smoke 'em?

[ A lazy smile tugs at the corner of her lip, eyes still closed. She can hear the hint of a smile in his voice, though, and she chuckles softly in response. ]

You're not so bad yourself, Doc.

[ Leonard actually laughs at that, low and short. He shakes his head at that suggestion, though he knows she's joking. ]

I wouldn't advise you smoking anything to begin with, much less so plants we barely even know.

[ She smiles, starting to feel the pull of sleep take over. ]

Mm. Such a doctor.

Yeah, that's me. Sorry to be such a downer.

[ He says that quietly, noting that she's falling asleep. He'll get to his feet and gather a few logs and branches from just outside the cave once she's asleep, starting on a small campfire once it starts getting dark. At least he doesn't think they'll have to worry about natives walking around here during the night, so there's that. ]

You're lucky you're cute.

[ Her voice trails off softly and her breathing grows heavier, body relaxing into the blankets. She sleeps until the early hours of the morning, waking to the dwindling light of the fire.

If he's still asleep, she'll grab a few weapons from her pack and wander out to find them something to eat. ]

[ Leonard is indeed fast asleep when she wakes up. So much so that he doesn't even hear her leave the cave, and when he wakes up some good minutes later, he actually sits up in a panic as soon as he notices she's gone. ]

Aw, shit, you have got to be kiddin' me!

[ Cursing under his breath, he gets to his feet, holstering his own phaser and grabbing his smaller med kit as he heads out, intent on finding Sara. And hoping she's not passed out somewhere. ]

[ She's on her way back to camp with a pair of what look like oversized rabbits slung over her back, brow furrowing as she watches him leave the cave. ]

Hey! Going somewhere, Doc? [ She climbs over the downed tree in front of the cave, holding up the animals victoriously. ]

Caught us some breakfast.

[ Leonard pauses just as he reaches the outside of the cave, eyes wide. Oh. There she is. ]

I was going to go find you, [ He points out, staring wide-eyed as she walks back into the cave. He gives the animals only a passing glance, eyebrows arching almost comically. ]

Are you kidding me? What made you think it was a good idea to go out there on your own, in the state you're in?! And you don't even know if those are edible! What if they're carryin' some horrible deadly virus?

[ Also, he's not going to skin those, holy shit. Definitely not eating them either. ]

[ She tries to suppress a smile, even as he starts to chide her. ]

Calm down, I feel fine. Just a headache. I'd feel a hell of a lot worse if I had to eat those nutrition bricks you brought for food.

[ She flexes her bandaged shoulder, more out of discomfort from the wrapping than any real pain. Ducking back into the cave, she drops the animals in a heap and starts to rummage through a pack for a few more knives. ]

So we'll scan them for health signatures and then eat them well done. Oh, and I found you some of these. [ She tosses him a small, wrapped bit of canvas. Inside are some leaves from the plant he'd been looking for - some still rooted, some not. ]

What if you'd passed out while you were out there, on your own? You can't see into your own head, and it was a goddamn stupid risk to take, going out there without letting me at least scan you to make sure the damage wasn't any worse.

[ He's already grabbing the tricorder and walking after her, checking her head. The injury doesn't worry him as much as the concussion she suffered, although they'll need to change the bandages on that, too.

He's caught by surprise when she throws the plants at him, fumbling to catch them. The tricorder lowers so he can look into the wrapped canvas, eyebrows raising. ]

... thanks. These will be useful.

[ He sets the tricorder down so he can wrap up the plants again properly, finding a sealed box for them and tucking it back into his kit. ]

Oh, relax. You think this is my first concussion?

[ She waves a hand dismissively, crouching next to the game and sanitizing her hands, even as he scans her. The sampling of plant life she picked up for him at least manages to distract him from his irritation just slightly, so she takes the opportunity to steal his tricorder and scan the animals for any signs of disease. ]

Still can't manage to get a signal out, but there's a path up north that leads to higher ground. Maybe that'll help.

[ The tricorder beeps a clean bill of health for both animals, so she sets it down and starts to clean and butcher them. ]

Ain't my first concussion either, and I think I'm a little qualified than you to know what could go wrong with that.

[ Yes he's just going to keep grousing and complaining about this. Surely she was counting on this sort of warm welcome when she decided to go out there on her own. Surely.

He stares at her as she works on the animals, having to look away at some point because that's just-- hell, no, he's not eating any of that. He'd rather stick to his rations, thanks. But first he'll gather some more wood into the fire, working on lighting that up so she can cook that meat for herself. ]

Let's try to go there next. Have you noticed any movement around, by the way? Or do you think the natives are staying clear of this area?

Well, good news. I didn't pass out. I even brought us breakfast. So you're welcome.

[ She shoots him a wink and a grin, glancing away to focus her attention on their aforementioned breakfast. Chuckling at the grimace on his face as she handles the meat, she shakes her head and spears some of the larger pieces onto a dagger so she can roast them over the flames. ]

Thought doctors weren't supposed to be so squeamish.

[ She smirks, working on the other animal so they can save the extra meat for their trek up. ]

Saw some movement further south. Smoke from a campfire, maybe. Land down that way seems more habitable, so the mountains are our best bet to avoid them.

[ She shifts around to settle in next to him, propping the knives full of meat up against the flames for them to cook. ]

You eat your cardboard brick yet?

I'm not. Just don't exactly like the sight of animals being butchered first thing in the morning, it really twists my stomach around.

[ Maybe later, once there's less blood everywhere, he won't be as squeamish about having some meat, right now, he's... yeah, just getting one of those ration bars and taking a nice bite, while she cooks her meat. He doesn't argue much, because with her injuries it's actually good to get a decent amount of protein into her, and fast. ]

Alright. Let's steer clear of those areas, but still keep our heads down, even up on the mountains. Just in case any of those natives decided to go for a hiking adventure. With all these healing herbs up here, he wouldn't be surprised. [ He hums at her question, tipping the bar at her before taking a bite. ] And it's delicious, thanks for askin'.

Big softie. [ she teases, getting to her feet and gathering the remainder of the mess to dispose of it outside the cave. Wiping her hands clean with a damp towel, she rotates the knives so the meat cooks evenly, settling back into a seat next to him. ]

Wanna take bets on if the natives have smoked that stuff or not? [ She quirks a small smile, pulling a face at the rations he's eating. ]

If you find that stuff delicious, maybe I don't wanna taste your mom's cobbler.

[ He just rolls his eyes at that, not getting where that makes him a softie exactly but not arguing either. He settles next to her, lifting an eyebrow at her idea. ]

That's ridiculous. Let's be honest here, they probably have anyway and I don't like to bet when I know I'll lose.

[ The last comment draws a soft chuckle from him, and he looks down and away while shaking his head. ]

Damn. Forgot about all that.

[ It's really just another excuse for her to make fun of him, really. Sara's no stranger to playing survivor in the wilderness. And if he's squeamish at the sight of her carving up an animal, she's pretty sure he'd disapprove of her life before Starfleet.

She chuckles at his reply, though, shrugging innocently. ]

Just saying. If you need to test the medicinal effects, I could be your guinea pig.

[ She smiles, focusing her attention on cooking the meat again as the memories of that morning start to resurface. ]

Mm. Not a bad morning.

[ Disapprove? Maybe nothing quite so harsh. It probably wouldn't have been the life for him, though. For all his complaining, he does like the comfortable life that Starfleet allows him, although fairly simple in a lot of aspects.

But then he's always been a simple man.

He smiles a little to himself, finishing the last bit of his bar. ]

No. I guess it wasn't, no.

[ There's not much on the official record when it comes to her past. Between surviving a shipwreck and joining Starfleet, the timeline is a little... sparse, to say the least.

There are a fair few that know her full story, the Captain included. The darkness and the violence that came with it was a little much to divulge, so officially she's just... a damn good fighter.

She turns the meat again, testing it with a fingertip before taking one of the knives off the flame to let it cool. ]

You guess? [ She quirks a brow at him. ] Seemed like you enjoyed yourself a little more than that, Doc.

[ Leonard really doesn't know everything about her past himself, just enough to get a solid medical file on her. But that's about it. He's never asked either, not one to pry, and he hardly feels like it's his place. Jim must know, and if he doesn't think Leonard needs to know, then it's because he doesn't need to know.

He takes in a breath at her comment, looking into the fire. ]

No, it was... [ He nods. ] It was-- fun. Yes.

[ He might have an inkling that she hasn't been all too forthcoming with her whole story, considering the vast array of scars that can't all possibly be the outcome of a crashed ship. And if he won't press it, she's not the type to talk about it all on her own.

She glances over at him, watching his profile a moment before glancing down to pick one of the pieces of meat from the skewer and munch on it. ]

See? You are capable of having fun.

[ She nudges him playfully with a shoulder. ]

[ He rolls his eyes at that, letting out a deep, pained sigh. ]

Oh come on, not this crap again. Yes, I do know how to have fun. We also know about stuff like that, back in Georgia.

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