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Captain Janeway and I sat in the cool darkness of a cave. The hot air had dehydrated us quickly. The cave was a welcome relief from the heat and dust of the desolate and volcanically active M Class planet. Under the light from a bright sun, the red rock landscape of the planet was spectacular. The striated rock canyons fell away into deep chasms.
I had accompanied Captain Janeway, the most competent pilot while Lieutenant Paris was recovering from plasma burns in Sick Bay, on an away mission to the planet. The Captain had chosen me for my detailed knowledge of exobiology, specifically microbes in extreme environments. Voyager’s scans had detected massive amounts of bio energy emanating from the planet, and we suspected bacteria were the source.
We had been forced to make an emergency landing. Atmospheric particles had interfered with the shuttle’s propulsion systems. We had landed the shuttle in a flat area surrounded by sloping canyons dotted with dry vegetation.
I was tasked with sending distress messages over subspace, hoping Voyager, two days away, would pick them up soon. The Captain tried to get the engines up and running, but to no avail. We were stranded.
The Captain and I had set out to explore the surrounding area. The red dust settled on our boots and the dry vegetation crunched under them. We scaled a slope, the summit giving us a view back down to our shuttle, the canyons and the distant volcano. The Captain spotted a cave in the slope of a nearby canyon and we walked towards it. Our tricorders were hurriedly beeping and flashing, but we needed a rest.
Inside the cave, we sat on the cool rocks and drank from our water flasks. The Captain brushed some loose strands of auburn hair from her face and let out a sigh.
“This place reminds me of the Grand Canyon.” She said.
“I can see the resemblance Captain.” I replied.
“Have you been there Ensign?”
“No, no I haven’t. It’s been on my list of places to visit for years, but other places off world distracted me.”
“I highly recommend it for the spectacular landscape.”
The Captain unzipped her uniform jacket, opening it to reveal the uniform-issue blue tank top underneath. She slipped out of the jacket and placed it on the rock beside her. I was transfixed for a moment watching her. I had had a crush on the Captain for months....... no....... years, since Voyager was stranded in the Delta Quadrant. I thought her beautiful. My eyes ran over the smooth sun-kissed skin of her torso, the swell of her breasts, the toned muscles of her upper arms. Then I was suddenly aware that I was starring. I hoped she hadn’t noticed. I looked down momentarily and unzipped the zipper of my uniform jacket half way.
“I’ve only been there once,” she continued. I looked in her direction once more. “My father insisted we go on a family road trip to see it. All the way from Indiana. We could have taken a shuttle or a high speed train, but he insisted we take the car. My sister, Phoebe, and I were already disinterested by the time we reached Arizona. Desert landscapes did little for us. I was too interested in space and astrophysics and alien species, and Phoebe, well she was more interested in people than nature. But I do remember that the landscape was spectacular, but it was just too hot and dusty for me to fully appreciate.”
“But now?” I asked inquisitively.
“Now I see it for all its beauty. It’s vastness.”
Our eyes met. Oh, I found her blue eyes mesmerising! They drew me in. I felt a connection with her. My heart started to beat faster.
“Ensign, I realise I don’t know much about you other than what is in your personnel file.”
I felt the blood rush to my cheeks at her sudden interest.
“Tell me about yourself.” She said.
And so I did.