Towers and Wizards

Posted on Wed Dec 22nd, 2021 @ 7:02am by Lieutenant Avira zh'Kenarh M.D. & Chief Petty Officer Manishie Karalo

Mission: Mission 5 - Babel
Location: Unknown M-Class Planet
Timeline: Day 271 - Late afternoon
1030 words - 2.1 OF Standard Post Measure

After the Caelestis Avira had poured over all the medical data they had been able to extract. There wasn't a cure, yet, but there were some potential leads for treatments to stretch out the time before it became debilitating. It had come as a welcome distraction that the Commander had ordered everyone to take some R&R planetside. She hadn't been on one of the first shuttles out but now was glad to have come to the surface. They still weren't allowed off the ship alone, so she had found Manishie willing to come along.

Avira was happy with her plasma rifle slung around her shoulder, it gave her some comfort. Avira had taken the lead in going around the underbrush on the planet. Even though it was good to have her feet on the ground she couldn't really get used to the heat and humidity on the planet. That and the looming tower that seemed to be visible from wherever you were. It was all putting her ill at ease.

"Do you think a wizard lives there? Or an evil sorcerer?" Manishie called out from nearby. She was going through the plants, scanning them with the presets programmed by the doctor.

Avira looked over at the tower in the distance, "A what?"

"Oh, it's a very common trope, silly fantasy stories. Never mind." Manishie shook her head a bit at bringing it up.

"No, please, tell me. I like stories" Avira looked up from her scanner and looked back at the human woman.

Manishie wondered how best to explain it. "Earth has a rich history of fantasy stories, fictional worlds with dragons and embodiments of evil." She swung her scanner around lazily. "In most of them, there's a wise old mentor figure." She pointed at the tower. "They hold up in huge towers, studying magic and the arcane. Either that, or they're the big bad evil."

Avira nodded along with the explanation, she then looked over at the tower. "It looks a bit evil."

Manishie laughed at that. "Yeah, and I didn't see a lake with a lady in it anywhere. So. You know."

Another puzzled look from the Andorian.

"One of the stories about a ruler of an old domain on Earth. Got a legendary sword from a lady in a lake, had an old beardy wizard as his mentor. Lived in a tower." Manishie her scanner bleeped. "Hey, could this be something?"

Avira shrugged off the tale of a legendary sword and moved over to look at Manishie's scans. "Yeah, could be. At the very least it would be edible." It was always very difficult to gauge the medicinal properties of unknown plants and fungi from just a scan. But it at least had some of the protein structures one would expect in helpful herbs. "Make sure to get the roots as well. We might want to graft them later."

"You're kinda like a wizard." Manishie kneeled down next to the plant they had identified. "Especially nowadays with all the technology."

"Wait, which kind?" Avira remembered there were at least two. The evil and the mentor kind.

Manishie laughed a bit at that, "The good kind." She continued carefully excavating the plants roots. "People come to you for advice. You know a lot about herbs and healing. You're hitting all the marks." She turned away from the digging she was doing. "All you need is a pointy hat. Perhaps a wand. Oh. Robes."

"You're going to have to explain all of that to me." Avira looked up from her scanner and in the direction of Manishie.

"I'll show you a picture when we get back." Manishie got back to digging out the roots of the plant. "They need a wand, a stick that they use to conduct their magical energies and aim them at people or things they want to influence or destroy."

Avira didn't quite know what to do with all of that information so she simply continued her own scans, trying to find useful herbs and plants. A silence grew between them, but it wasn't really uncomfortable. It seemed natural. it was all perfectly fine.

"You know, sometimes I envy you. Your job I mean." Manishie dug out the plant by its roots and placed it in a stasis field container. "Nobody really cares about my job until shit hits the fan." She looked up. "That means..."

"I know what that means. There's some colourful language in operating theatres." Avira reassured her companion. "And it really isn't all that glamorous. It's all very 'sprinting and standing still'." She kept walking and scanning, they needed as much of this as possible and even though the Commander had insisted that she also take a break this was as relaxing as it was going to get for her. "And to be totally honest, it's the days where you don't have to do anything that are the best." It was only half a lie. But she had learned quickly that people didn't really like the fact that you found cutting into people the most exhilarating part of the job.

Manishie nodded at that. "Same. if I don't have to investigate another murder or other crime before the end of this cruise, it'll be too soon."

Avira knew exactly what she meant, it was unrealistic to think the medical team wouldn't be needed anymore, but it would be nice to not have to deal with people making each other's lives miserable. "Well, you won't have any trouble from me, officer." She raised her hands a bit in mock surrender.

"I'll try not to get hurt either, doctor." Manishie continued her scans of the surrounding area, they still had a large swath of land they wanted to cover and the day was already quickly drawing to a close.

"I would very much appreciate that. I don't want to see you hurt." Avira froze a bit as she said that, wondering if that had come off wrong. Her heart was racing and she felt her cheeks flush.

Manishie had stopped stepping around for a moment, looked over her shoulder and saw Avira immediately turn away from her. She involuntarily smiled to herself.