A Piece of Ferasa

Posted on Sat Jan 20th, 2024 @ 4:59am by Ensign S'Niri & Ensign Dani Harper

2,004 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Mission 0: Where do we go from here?
Location: Holodeck

When S'Niri had put out an open call for people to join her in hiking through the mountains of Wai-Rahi, she had not expected anyone to come. Ferasa Prime was far less hospitable than Cait in nearly all aspects; the afternoon heat blazed at thirty-four degrees celsius all day around, the air was dry and the ground mostly packed sand. Where it wasn't dry and arid and uncomfy the jungles were unforgivingly humid and overgrown and as such few people ever set paw in them.

Except for S'Niri and her mother, of course.

Therefore she was pleasantly surprised when standing outside the door had been a young, pretty Orion woman - which surprised her, actually, but she'd learned well enough that appearance was superficial at best. "I suppose we should get to know each other first. What's your name, fellow daredevil, and how do you feel about crossing the desert?" S'Niri grinned a wide, saber-toothed grin.

"Dani Harper, science department. And we've got nothing but time on our hands right? At least until my shift starts at 0700 hours. Seems as good a training as any for what we might run into out there," she said with a shrug, her mood chipper and upbeat.

"Spoken like a Ferasan! Good! I like that attitude of yours." S'Niri pressed the holodeck control panel, and the doors hissed open. Hot, dry air hit their faces as they stepped through into a desert that seemed to stretch for miles on either end. The scenery consisted of harsh-looking rocky mountains that spiked up into the air like saber teeth sticking up through the ground. An avian of some kind, dark-colored with six magnificent wings, soared high over their heads. S'Niri took a moment to reminisce before walking forward. The sand crunched beneath her feet; how exactly she was going barefoot in this harsh, unforgiving wasteland was anyone's guess.

"You anticipate that as a scientist you'll see more of these places?" S'Niri gestured to the arid sands around them. "Harsh, unforgiving - oh, the sandstorms happen every two hours or so, by the way. Father would take me down this same track when I was a cub. Where we came from-" She thumbed the way they'd left behind them, "-would be the clan chief's manor. Mother was well-to-do. She had the materials imported and then built it from scratch. Some in the clan viewed her as too rich for her own good and tried sending love letters through our shipments." S'Niri snickered. "I'm still alive, of course. They failed."

"Who failed? What do you mean?" Dani asked as she looked up, feeling the hot air against her skin. "Computer, can I have a pair of sunglasses, protective wrap around style, and a light weight scarf, cotton linen blend, 1 meter by 2.5 meters, dark beige." The items materialized in front her and she put on the sunglasses and wrapped the scarf loosely around her shoulders for now.

"The Ferasans who thought my mother had no business being chief, of course. The chief of the clan remains chief until they pass on the role voluntarily or die. Some particularly backward ones thought a woman belonged in the house, not in political office." S'Niri snorted. "So they tried to encourage her to leave the role. She didn't listen, of course. So they tried on various occasions to get the other outcome to come to pass instead. Again, they failed. Ferasans usually think with our claws before our brains."

S'Niri treaded on unbothered as a sandy-colored snake peeked out at them from behind a dune, tongue flicking. The creature moved on swiftly, seeming uninterested in the two hikers. "And so here I am."

"Yeah, I left behind a lot of stuff to get here too," Dani replied as she watched the snake slither away. "So what else can we expect on this hike? Since I don't have claws, am I going to need any weapons?"

"Weapons? Oh, no. There's nothing in this part of Ferasa that can actually pose a threat to us. Most things scare just by you making yourself look bigger," S'Niri replied. "The harshest things here are the sand and heat. What you asked for should be more than enough to stave off the heat. I am used to it." From her pocket she produced a sandy-colored veil that she draped over her head. "For the sandstorms." She added. "This hike is one hour long either way. There will be rest stops along the way if you'd like. Some travellers set up shop here."

"No need for a break yet. We're just getting started," Dani said looking around. "Lead the way then." Dani waited to see which direction the hike would take them.

On they trudged. S'Niri pointed out some of the endemic wildlife and plants as they passed them - a small, hardy plant that corkscrewed into the air, a small rodent with huge ears and saber teeth, a cactus the size of Dani's head that bloomed with vibrantly colored white flowers and a desert snake, which the Ferasan hybrid easily snatched up by the head and held as she talked about it. Eventually the two would hear the sounds of distant shouting snd chatter as they scaled a sand dune. "I recognize that. It's the El'eke Market." She said with a toothy grin. As the pair reached the summit a small collection of tents and market stalls was visible at the bottom, mostly made of tarplike cloth and metal bits. "Hungry? I hope the holodeck does chuvah leg justice." S'Niri quipped.

"A market on a hike," Dani commented with surprise. "That's a fun little twist. I'm excited to take a look. And sure, I could eat." Dani looked around. It was hot, but it really wasn't that bad. There were worse things in life than extreme weather, and her green skin really didn't mind the sun.

Indeed the air even fifty metres from the market smelled good, like spicy curry mixed with the scent of roasting meat. Shouting in the native Ferasan language, like growls of a feral cat mixed with softer purring, filled the air as vendors clamored for patrons and hurled insults at each other for kicks. Goods being sold included fruit, roasting meat over a firepit, jewellery, Earth watches that seemed a few centuries too old and even live animals. Indeed, a Klingon merchant peddled targs of various kinds from cages, paying no attention to their snorts and growls. S'Niri averted her eyes as they passed that vendor, bound straight for the meat seller. "Tell me. How good are you with spicy food?" She asked her travelling companion.

"You know I grew up mostly on Orion, right?" Dani asked as if S'Niri should know the answer to the question she had just asked. "I think that's all they know how to make over there."

"No, I didn't, but now that I know I'll know what to get." S'Niri's toothy grin was nothing short of mischievous as they neared the meat seller. The scent of cooking spiced meat hit them immediately, like a fist of scented air. The Ferasan woman manning the stall perked up instantly as they approached; S'Niri spoke with her briefly and she handed her two huge chunks of meat on sticks. Each of them was as large as a roasted whole pork knuckle, with crispy skin that looked so crispy you could've run a fingernail across it and gotten a satisfying crunch. "Go on. Try it." The Ferasan hybrid watched expectantly, wondering how her companion would react to her first bite...

Dani tested the temperature first by gingerly bringing it to her mouth. When she realized the temperature was okay she bit into the crunchy piece of meat. The meat itself was actually quite tender. She thought she tasted a hint of the Orion spice uklaric in the blend, something pirates used to show off to outsiders. The other flavors were new, and blended nicely to bring a pleasant burn that hit your throat when you swallowed.

"Nice," Dani said. "We're going to need drinks though."

"You did far better than my first girlfriend. She was a Vulcan, would you believe it. I have never seen a Vulcan scrabble for milk so quickly. She looked like a tomato when she was done." S'Niri snickered and tucked in, biting huge chunks off the stick with a look of nostalgia spread over her features. "Drinks we can provide! Here." She shepherded Dani towards another vendor, who seemed to be hawking beverages from old-fashioned Earth drinks machines. "Uttaberry, zilm'kach or strawberry?" She asked after glancing at the contents of the machine.

"Vulcans want everything to taste like water," Dani commented. "Gimme zilm'kach!"

"Oh, she was adventurous. She had the zilm'kach drink just like you. She loves sweets." S'Niri spoke with the vendor, and handed Dani a yellowish drink the color of tea with milk. A zilm'kach slice topped the cup, hanging onto the side by a slit cut into it. "Here. It's pretty sweet, though, if you're not into that." She quipped.

"Sweet and spicy are the perfect combination actually," Dani said taking the cup. "What are having?" Dani asked as she took another bit.

"Me? Strawberry. I think it is the single most delicious fruit ever cultivated by humans." S'Niri declared. She held in one paw a huge cup filled with frothy pink liquid, which she drank from by a twisty blue straw. Apparently even Ferasans weren't immune to the novelty of silly straws! "Shall we continue on our intrepid journey, or would you like to stay and rest?" She turned and walked towards what looked like a hand-carved wooden bench.

"We can keep going," Dani offered cheerfully. "A snack and a drink in the middle of a hike. This isn't bad at all. Unless you wanted to look around the market a bit?"

"I could go for a shopping spree." S'Niri moved towards another vendor selling dresses. This one was a Ferengi male, who seemed extremely happy to see them both. "Ooh! Customers! It's been so long! Welcome, welcome! Might I get you two lovely ladies something...?" He simpered, glancing excitedly between both of them. "For you, beautiful Ferasan, I have just the thing..." He scampered off without waiting for a reply from either of them and returned with a shimmering gold and blue dress that would, when worn, show a generous amount of skin - or perhaps fur, in this case. "And for you?" He grinned expectantly at Dani.

Dani crossed her arms. "I'm sorry sir, I didn't bring any latinum today. I'm just looking," she said with shrug.

"It's the holodeck, Dani. You don't have to spend anything-" S'Niri whispered to her travelling companion. Thank goodness for the complete lack of self-awareness of holodeck characters - the Ferengi merchant merely grinned at them both. "I have the perfect red dress if you'd like!" He scurried away and brought back a similarly revealing dress, holding it up for Dani to see.

"If you have that in purple, perhaps," Dani said. "I feel like when I wear red I look like a Christmas decoration," she quipped. "A human holiday. I spend a lot of time around them."

While the Ferengi scurried off, Dani looked at S'Niri, "Do we pick these up on our way back then? If we're trudging through sandstorms, I don't really want to be carrying merchandise."

"We do. Don't you worry." S'Niri grinned as the Ferengi came scurrying back with a purple version of the dress and an accompanying silver necklace. "Box them up for us please, we'll get them when we're back, okay?" She told the enthusiastic-looking Ferengi, who scurried off with their goods in hand. "Ready to continue? There's still more to go." S'Niri told Dani.

"Yes," Dani said. "Let's test my limits. See what this desert is about!"

"My thoughts exactly. Onward!" S'Niri looped an arm around her shoulders as they exited the market.

Ensign S’Niri
Security Officer
USS Imperator

Ensign Dani Harper
Science Officer
USS Imperator

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