Planet Luntanu, Alpha Squad Base Camp:
Eydiir pushed the girl out of the way and flung her kligat at a large, four-legged creature with a tusk-flanked muzzle, striking one of the tusks and bouncing off as the creature invaded the campsite, emitting a terrible bellow.
Sasha grabbed a large branch from the ground and raised it. "Everybody get out of the way!"
The creature was like a Terran warthog or Klingon targ, waist-high and muscular and shaggy and now stampeding around camp, knocking over the rack with the drying uniforms and sending them into the fire, slamming into units and chairs and threatening to do the same to the Away team - until Neraxis stunned it with her phaser. It went down on its side, but was still breathing, albeit rapidly. It also stank, as did most every animal on this planet, it seemed.
"Is everyone all right?" Sasha asked.
"Better than Tusky here," Giles quipped, suddenly cursing. "Look! Your uniforms!"
All turned to see the three uniforms now smouldering on the fire, and moved to rescue them, The material was meant to be fireproof - but it was now charred in places.
Sasha stood there, feeling her temper fray. She began pacing, wincing as her bare feet stepped on sharp stones. Now she swore loudly. "That is it! I am done! This was supposed to be an adventure for us! We were gonna win the competition! Now look at us! I have us waste time and space bringing down unnecessary equipment! Giles damages an alien building! Kit gets sick on bugs! I eat monkey crap! And now a pig invades our camp and burns our uniforms!"
She looked at Giles. "You and Neraxis do a sweep of the immediate area, then work out a security plan to keep any more animals from coming in here! Eydiir, you and Kit check out the animal, make sure it's okay! Jonas, get that fakakta heater turned into a cooler! And I'll have all of you know for the record that later on I'm going over to Jared Miro's tent and spend the evening salvaging this terrible experience and lose my virginity! Assuming that any lingering stink of monkey crap on me doesn't put him off!"
She stormed off to her own shelter and entered, collapsing onto her stomach on the top of her sleeping bag, running her fingers through her hair and feeling like seven shades of bad.
She wanted to cry. She had such high hopes for her first real Away Mission! Now they're sitting around in the heat and bugs with unnecessary equipment and crap food and the wildlife are attacking them and her secret boyfriend was outing their relationship to all and sundry, risking their positions- and then she does the same to her own squad, friends that she just yelled at. She hoped for another Tusky to charge through and trample all over her.
She grabbed her PADD and began collating the data and compiling her report. They had gathered and catalogued a great deal of data, despite all their setbacks, mistakes and misadventures. The shelter was small, waist-high, and the heat within was stifling, oppressive, and she really hoped that Jonas could make them a cooling unit. Otherwise, they might have to work up a rota for the Squad to sleep in the shuttle.
Not her, though. She didn't deserve it, treating them all like dirt the way she did. She tried to listen to them, but the soundproofed material of her shelter wouldn't let her her anything distinct.
Sweat was beading down her back and the backs of her legs, but she ignored it.
She didn't ignore the tap on the shelter frame from outside, however. "What?"
The shelter door was pulled open, and Giles half-knelt there. "Hi. Can I come in?"
Sasha had been lying there, with only the backlight from her PADD to illuminate her. Now she reached up to switch on the light on the supporting bar holding up the circular roof of the shelter. "Were you the one they chose to come in here and assassinate me?"
"We drew lots." He crawled in, leaving the shelter flap door open to let in some air as he sat cross-legged. "Sorry to bother you, but I thought as second in command I should report in. Jonas thinks he'll have us a cooler in an hour or so. Neraxis and I have worked out something... unusual... to protect our camp from any further intruders. And Eydiir and Kit have examined Tusky, and can wake him up with a stimulant."
"Thanks." Sasha grunted, reaching for one of the water bottles. "I was an ass out there to everyone."
"Agreed. That's usually my job."
"And then I'm boasting about going off to have sex with Jared."
"To be fair, that's pretty boastworthy. I know I was like that, with my first when I was fifteen. Couldn't stop telling everyone."
She drank again. "Giles... are you really a virgin?"
He didn't answer.
"I wasn't asking to make fun of you, it's none of my-"
"Yes," he admitted, breathing out, all his swagger gone. "Yes, I am. I mean, there have been times when I could have been with a girl or two, of course. Lots of girls were willing... I think..." He glanced out at the camp once. "But then I say too much and ruin my chances. I can talk a good game. I... I just don't know when to shut up. I probably try too hard."
She nodded. "I've been too busy the last couple of years to think about it... much... now, it feels like it's another qualification I have to make to get into adulthood." She smiled at him. "You don't mind if I get there first, do you?"
He smiled back. "You're the Squad Leader."
She sighed, staring out the shelter door. "Yes, I am. And I'd better start earning my keep."
In the camp, everyone was crowded around the still-unmoving animal, but then rose as Sasha and Giles approached, Sasha declaring, "I'll keep this short: I've been a jerk to all of you, and I'm sorry." She nodded to Eydiir. "Let's get this smelly bastard out of here."
The Capellan nodded, producing a hypospray. indicating the animal. "I suggest everyone back off and give it space. I have no desire to repair puncture wounds from those tusks."
They did so, as Eydiir prepared a hypospray and returned to the pig-thing, getting just close enough to press the business end of the spray into its hindquarters, before joining the others. Tusky jolted, like it had just been disturbed from a nap, before finally rising, looking a little wobbly as it staggered about. Sasha noticed that Neraxis and Giles had phasers drawn, but pointed to the ground before them: good.
They watched silently as Tusky seemed to be surveying the area, before moving over to the remains of their replicated rations, stuck its snout into one half-finished meal - then promptly bolted out the far end of the clearing with a noise of disgust.
"I don't blame you," Sasha called after it. "Thank you, Eydiir. You too, Kit."