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Tricorder entry, Lieutenant Commander Spock, Stardate 3684.2
Mr. Scott has taken the transporter offline for a week due to much needed maintenance. Jim is not pleased, as this jeopardizes a mission to catalog life on the dwarf planet Q’ataro Alpha. We will need to use the transatmospheric shuttle in order to keep to schedule.
Further complicating plans, Mr. Sulu and Mr. Chekov have been confined to the medical wing with Rigelian Flu since the last shore leave. Jim is undeterred though, and insists he will be able to safely pilot the shuttle to the surface.
I fear it will be a bumpy ride.
Tricorder entry, Stardate 3685.7
The mission to Q’ataro Alpha took a misstep from the start. The shuttle was ill-equipped for the turbulence we encountered in the jet stream and we were thrown off-course of the landing site. Jim made an admirable recovery, but the landing was rough, and we lost the tail of the shuttle.
Despite this notable setback, Jim remained upbeat about the mission. Unfortunately, the shuttle then lurched violently, and we heard the sounds of crunching metal. Jim and I made it out of the hull just in time to see the shuttle being devoured whole by a tree-sized plant.
The two young ensigns accompanying us were not so fortunate. They both went down with the ship. May they rest in peace.
My hopes for this mission are much lower than Jim's, but I have dutifully begun the catalog of lifeforms with QA0000001 Plant, Metallophagic, possibly carnivorous.
Tricorder entry, Stardate 3686.6
There is nothing to be done for the situation. Mr. Scott cannot bring the transporter up until he has a new warp cable coupler fabricated, which will take at least a week, and the Enterprise has no other shuttles capable of flight in both space and atmosphere. The mission will continue with what faculties we possess while we wait for the transporter to come back online. Jim is undaunted and seems enamored of resorting to “roughing it.”
During today’s excursion to find and document insects, I began collecting fibrous grasses. If coarsely woven together, they should provide suitable sleeping accommodations in lieu of beds. Jim may also find them useful. This isn't the first such foray we've had, and if memory serves, his shirts never fare well for long when we are planetside.
Tricorder entry, Stardate 3687.8
Today we hiked through thick jungle. We recorded numerous barbed, spiked, and burred plants, but no more of the carnivorous variety. Toward noon we found a river teeming with orange fish-like animals, QA0000729, though we have taken to calling them carp for convenience. Scans indicate they are edible, so Jim stripped down and waded out to catch several with his bare hands.
It was quite the sight to see.
Tricorder entry, Stardate 3688.9
This planet appears to have no avian life. The niche has been filled by large insectoid lifeforms. Thus far I have catalogued thirty-three different species of flying insect that stand taller than a meter. Jim has made it known to me several times today that an insect the size of a poodle is a personal affront to his sensibilities.
His impression of the beasts was no doubt cemented during an encounter today. While attempting to get close enough to record the humming noise that species QA0001122 makes with its wings, he startled the poor creature and it attacked. Jim has a few scrapes and bruises to show for it, but is none the worse for wear. Surprisingly, his shirt made it out unscathed.
Tricorder entry, Stardate 3689.7
We have just finished the entry for QA0002000, well above our original mission target, and with still four days to go until we can beam back to the Enterprise.
I remain fascinated by the fact that Jim has kept his shirt in tact. By my reckoning, it is a new record.
Tricorder entry, Stardate 3690.9
Today we arrived at the coast and explored the tidal areas, adding over fifty lifeforms to the logs in less than an hour.
Jim ventured further out into the surf and spotted large eel-shaped creatures. Unfortunately they spotted him as well. I looked up from taking the measurements of a seaweed species to find him wrestling with large scaly coils.
Jim won the struggle, but lost a small strip of one pant leg in the process. I am astonished that his uniform fared so well.
Before starting this entry, I called up to the Enterprise to inquire if we had received new uniforms during the last resupply stop. Perhaps Starfleet has become sensible to the danger posed by easily damaged uniforms. Or perhaps the cost of mending them finally reached a threshold to induce change. The ensign in charge of linens was understandably confused when my transmission was put through to him, and I found, contrary to my hypothesis, that the uniforms are unchanged.
Fascinating.
Tricorder entry, Stardate 3691.6
Were I a man that indulges in his emotions, I believe I would feel indignant.
We have been stranded planetside for seven days now, and despite multiple encounters with animals and hostile terrain, Jim remains fully clothed. My prediction, it seems, has gone awry.
Today Jim decided that we should traverse a steep gorge with jagged rocks. Here, I thought, my prediction was sure to come true.
Against all odds, and a nasty tumble, the shirt survives another day.
Tricorder entry, Stardate 3692.5
Today is our last full day on Q’ataro Alpha. This morning Mr. Scott confirmed that by midday tomorrow the transporter will be up and running again. For all of my reservations at the beginning, it has not been an unpleasant affair. Jim is a good companion and outdoorsman--as long as he stays away from the fauna--and the planet is an untouched trove of natural sights and scientific discovery.
However, I cannot help but think that had my prediction come to fruition, the view would have been improved upon.
Jim has left to go bathe at the river, wanting to be a bit more presentable when we beam back up to the Enterprise. He has left his uniform folded up by the campfire.
I am tempted to play the hands of fate, and bring about the much anticipated end of the gold shirt.
Perhaps I will.
If he asks, I can simply tell him it was carried off by a large, shirt-eating insect.