Down on the Farm (Closed)

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Harmony - Landing Area

To call this place a "spaceport" was unbelievably generous, and could only be fathomed in that it was a designated spot where shuttles landed. Other than that, it was only a place that was a bit more level than the rest of the outlying area, and had the scrubbed cleared away.

As far as the eye can see bleak hills, tiny mountains, and harsh vegetation marched inexorably. The sky was a permanent, overcast, gunmetal gray, and morose clouds hunched over the stony white peaks here and there. It was a dismal, morose view, but if one was so inclined it could have its own beauty.

When Mahak stepped foot onto the stony soil of Harmony for the first time in many a year his boot ground into the grit and dust, a characteristic sound. It brought back a hundred memories. The cold, dreary mornings. The endless work of the day, wrangling the herd in the hot sun. And the tranquil nights and quiet meditation that went with it.

An altava bird was startled by their shuttle landing down. It was a meager, skinny bird, all neck and beak. It squawked at him with a voice about ten times its size.

"Careful of that thing, Kali," Mahak said. "They're not friendly, and they spit. Welcome to Harmony."

[Kali Reyes]

[Harmony - Landing Area]

If it wasn't a tech manual, Kali wasn't interested in reading it. It took a while, but she found a couple on 'How to be Civilized - the Dummy Edition' while Anderson put her on an emergency boot camp for dignified ladies. It was not much different than her time in charm school as a teenager, but look how much that affected her young adult life so far.

Kali stepped down off the shuttle, tucked away her PADD and breathed in colony air. It's been awhile. She was almost giddy from it. "It's dreary," she decided brightly. "But I like it!"

She made to grab him from behind for a very melty hug, but managed to stop herself in time. Vulcan world. No touchy. A bit dampened, she instead moved to his side and looked at him expectantly. "I got this!"

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Harmony - Landing Area]

"It is a harsh world," Mahak admitted. He wore a tight fitting jumpsuit in powder blue, and a pair of tough boots. Though it looked form fitting and slenderized his already thin form, it was actually a sturdy garment, well suited to the environment.

"You may want to wear a hat." He told her. "The sun can be unmerciful here in the middle of the day. My membranes in my eyes will shield them, but yours may not."

Mahak patted her shoulder with restrained affection when she assured him that she was prepared. He might have done or said more but they were interrupted by a loud hail.

"Nephew!"

An older, austere Vulcan who resembled Mahak had crested over a hill to greet them. He was rangy, and had the same whipcord leanness that Mahak had. His hair was the color of old iron: a subdued mix of gray and black.

"Uncle Strov." Mahak said to Reyes right before the other man came within earshot.

"Live long, and prosper." The rawboned Vulcan said, extending the traditional salute.

"And you, uncle." Mahak said, returning it. "Are you here to escort us the rest of the way?"

"I am," Strov allowed. "Your parents find it very agreeable that you have decided to visit. Who is your companion?"

The conversation was like a tennis match played with a spiked ball. Their tones were solidly unemotional, with just a hint of underlying emotion, being volleyed back and forth.

"Uncle, may I present Chief Petty Officer Kali Reyes, Chief of the Boat and Second Officer of the USS Discovery."

[Kali Reyes]

[Harmony]

"Way ahead of you!" From her bag, Kali pulled out a large beige sunhat that she borrowed from Anderson. It matched her jumper dress and leggings - it was pretty obvious that she had no intention of crawling around in the dirt like she did in Tellur II. As she tested the dirt with the heel of her boots, Kali almost jumped in alarm when a man called out.

It was Mahak's uncle. Automatically, she smiled. She didn't mean to. It was going to be a long, trying habit to get rid of. She quickly dropped the brim of her hat down so his uncle wouldn't suffer to deal with it.

It was only after Mahak introduced her that she managed to school her expression and lift the hat back up to greet him with a handshake - well, tried to. She quickly aborted that and tried to focus on the introduction she's been working on during the entire ride.

Peace and long life, I am indeed Chief Reyes of the USS Discovery. It is an honor to-

"That's me! Hi, there! I like your colony!"

She wondered if there were any canyons nearby she could jump out of.

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Harmony - Landing Area]

Instead of the usual haughtiness, Strov nodded to her. He even had a measure of friendliness in his eyes. It was evident that his emotions were also close to the surface, like Mahak's. But with an environment as harshly beautiful as this one and the rough lifestyle it was not hard to imagine why.

"It is agreeable to meet you, Chief Reyes. Since my nephew did not see fit to introduce us properly: I am Strov." The uncle said with a touch of old fashioned Vulcan rudeness. "I hope you came prepared for some hard walking, Chief. It's 5 kilometers to the ranch, and the terrain here is not forgiving."

"We are both ready to set off," Mahak said, his voice a bit tight. "Rest assured that Kali and I are adequately prepared for the journey."

"'Kali', is it? I see." Strov's eyes, as black as night but ringed by yellow from a hard life outdoors, shifted back and forth between them. "Then let us be off."

[Kali Reyes]

[Harmony]

Kali honestly tried to sound prim and proper, but the ease of conversation would always be her folly. "I think I can manage," she said brightly. "Got enough water in my hump and everything."

Yup, this is going very well. She tilted her head and look to Mahak in question. "Did I do something wrong?"

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Harmony]

Kali honestly tried to sound prim and proper, but the ease of conversation would always be her folly. "I think I can manage," she said brightly. "Got enough water in my hump and everything."

Yup, this is going very well. She tilted her head and look to Mahak in question. "Did I do something wrong?"

[Harmony]

"I will scout up ahead for tlanda beasts," Strov said. From his pack, the Vulcan broke out an action, barrel, and a stripped down stock. After interconnecting the parts and checking the power, he had himself a survival rifle.

"It shoots projectiles from a very powerful pneumatic reaction, rounds of plastic that are sharpened at the tip by nanites. They mushroom on impact." Mahak told Reyes didactically. "Tlanda are not affected by energy weapons."

"Less affected. You could take one down with your Starfleet phasers, but it would carve you up with its claws a long time before you could burn through its hide." Strov was checking the rifle's action for any debris.

"Tlanda are one of Harmony's many dangerous predators." Mahak allowed.

"Do you remember the way, nephew?" Strov asked, not unkindly.

"I do."

When the older Vulcan went ahead, Mahak turned to Reyes and took her hand briefly, squeezing it reassuringly.

"You are doing very well. Do not mind Strov. He's been a ranch hand for my mother for so long that he has taken on a bit of her curmudgeonly spirit."

[Kali Reyes]

[Harmony]

Tlanda what? Kali froze at the rifle. This wasn't Vulcan, not the planet at least, but all of her overnight reading talked about fantastic technological splendor and culture from such a logical race. She even dressed conservative in all the right places for something akin to nobility.

But Mahak's uncle shucked out a rifle and volleyed back and forth with his nephew about vermin like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"I feel like a city girl way out of her league in the country," she admitted and squeezed his hand. It was so bizarre. Interesting, but bizarre.

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Harmony]

Mahak studied her reaction and was not surprised. Reyes did not have a very strong Vulcan influence on her life before him. Humans all thought that every Vulcan spent their entire life in deep prayer or purging their emotions and being heartless to their children. But he did not say that. Reyes knew better by now, anyway, but it was still the reaction he had expected.

"The people that live here do partake in traditional Vulcan rituals." He said mildly. "But they are not the kind of Vulcans that live on the homeworld. There is too much work to be done to survive here to be bogged down in ceremony."

From up ahead, his words were cut off by the rolling sound of a shot. It did not sound like a phaser or even a traditional firearm. It was a spitting sound, followed by a long protracted cry of animal pain.

Mahak urged Reyes forward and jogged, his boots crunching over the stones and dirt, until he came to Strov squatting next to his kill.

"She's down," Strov announced briefly. "I had to, nephew. The young were here, and the mother was enraged."

The tlanda was stretched out on its size. It was perhaps six feet from the tip of its snout with three nostrils and its tailless hindquarters, but less than half as high from his paw to shoulder. It was covered with a pelt of black fur, magnificent to behold even if it was marred with blood and debris that clung to it. Its maw was unusually large, and rimmed with blunt yellow teeth. It resembled a kind of pig-cat

"A clean shot, uncle." Mahak observed. He was already kneeling next to the kill.

"Right through the heart." Strov confirmed. His knife was in his hands and he was sawing at the animal right above the hooves.

"Tlanda are considered vermin," Mahak said over his shoulder to Reyes. "A single tlanda beast can slay an entire herd. Once, we only tagged them for surveillance and removed their teeth and claws. But now we have to kill them. They breed quickly and with large litters. You can see for yourself."

A half dozen tlanda babies were milling around in a pack about 30 yards from their mother, each one an adorable little fluff ball of porcine kittiness. They were squealing in distress or confusion, piling up on one another, running around in tiny circles.

[Kali Reyes]

[Harmony]

She got it. Vulcan or not, it was a colony world. It was just a long while since she's been on one. Kali nodded and was glad she didn't have to partake in some kind of 4AM ritual of meditation, only to hear a gunshot that nearly sprung her out of her shoes.

They ran towards the shot and Kali let out a comedic, whimpering cry at the sight of what was obviously a dead pig-cat mother and the litter not too far off that Mahak pointed out.

Barely a minute on this planet and already they shot Bambi's mom. Kali wasn't a vegetarian - far from it - but watching a litter of now orphan vermin mill about for their dead mom pretty much erased whatever pretenses she had about being the best Vulcan she could be.

"Not the pig-kitties!" she whined. Another sprint later and she was already taking off her hat to try and scoop up the little cat-piggy things into it and tried not to cry from the cuteness of this Shakespearan tragedy. It was a pretty funny, but pathetic sight to watch.

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Harmony]

Mahak watched Reyes break free from his side and run to the little piglet-kittens with something akin to fondness. She wanted to save each and every one, no matter the cost or what they were.

"What is she doing?" Strov asked as he hacked away at the fur of the tlanda, skinning it.

"Be careful around the legs, uncle, slain tlanda can still kick." Mahak said as he stood and walked to Reyes.

"Kali," The Vulcan said quietly. "You cannot save them.  Without their mother's milk they will die from starvation, or exposure. Or a larger predator will come and eat them. Let nature take its course."

The tlanda piglet-kitties were enjoying the attention they were getting. Though they were tiny balls of smelly fluff, they bowled over one another comically to run headlong into Reyes's legs or arms or hat. A delighted, giddy group snort rose up from them, followed by a happy squeal when one of them finally succeeding in jumping up high enough to briefly be in her arms.

[Kali Reyes]

[Harmony]

They were disgustingly cute and snuffy and all sorts of things that would probably make Anderson into a ball of goop. Therefore, according to her own protocol they have to be saved.

Kali wrestled the squeal-y fuzzballs into her hat and then frowned up at Mahak. "No way! I'm not gonna let a predator eat them! Look at them! They're cute. I can't turn my back on cuteness." She was already putting the flaps of her hat over the squirming bundle even at the cost of turning her hair blond from the sun.

And if that didn't compel them, Kali protectively held it to her chest. If they were butt ugly, she would have just ignored them. Clearly, evolution was suckering her in with the motherly instincts.

"I can do plenty of things!" she defended. "Like Dr. Cottle. He's got loads of animals! He can take care of them." Starfleet's mantra was to protect life - which was a pretty good argument on her end.

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Harmony]

Mahak blinked at her for several seconds, trying to connect why anyone would want to house vermin, or find them adorable. He opened his mouth to speak.

"You cannot keep them," Strov said as he stepped up to the group. His hands were covered in blood to his forearms. "They will grow up to be as mettlesome as their mother."

The mother in question was already skinned completely. The body was a horror of white and red, still glistening in the sun. A flock of altava birds was wheeling above them. Occasionally a splatter of some of their spittle fell to the ground.

"Strov is right," Mahak said, his voice softer than his uncle's. "They will grow too large to keep on the Discovery. They also have a voracious appetite. They will eat nearly anything. Sickbay is no place for such a large animal."

Both Vulcans nodded to one another and then looked to Reyes for response.

[Kali Reyes]

[Harmony]

"I'm meddlesome!" Kali snapped. "And I eat people out of house and home! The Discovery keeps me just fine!" Alright, that was kind of an irrational response, but Kali wasn't exactly enjoying the idea of leaving helpless animals for those disgusting birds that were already swirling above the dead mom.

It already sucked that they kind of took out the only thing that kept these babies alive. Did they really have to condemn the offspring too?

Kali got to her feet and gave them a stern look that promised pain. "I am ranking officer here!" She pulled rank. It was kind of an achievement. And all it took was a pile of cute furbabies. "I say we make sure they have at least a surviving chance before we send them back out into the wild. If you don't like it, you can kiss my grits."

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Harmony]

Mahak and Strov exchanged such bewildered, under the eyebrow looks, like an old comedy routine. Both men started speaking at once.

"Starfleet has no jurisdict--"

"It is illogical to think that any animal can truly be sav--"

When they quieted, Mahak held up a hand to his uncle.

"Strov, I believe I spotted a patch of bamba root bushes approximately a half kilometer behind us. Would you go pick us all some of it so we can use it in tonight's dinner?" Mahak asked.

If Strov could have snorted and hawked some spit like an old 1890s prospector he would have. Instead, the grizzled Vulcan stalked off.

"Kali," Mahak said when they were alone. "As I was saying, there are countless animals all over the planet that are being killed by predators and eaten. Dying of old age. Accidents. And yes, the tlanda are killed when they come near a ranch. It is merely the way of things here."

"However," The young Vulcan said when he saw her protest. "I believe Dr. Kottle would not be averse to having one of these things under his care. But a full litter of six is far too many. If you want to choose one we can chain it up outside on the ranch when we arrive. We must let the others meet their fate, as nature designed."