Down to the River To Pray

Posted on Thu Feb 27th, 2025 @ 7:12am by Ensign Madelyn 'Madi' Moore & Ensign Mercy Mourne

Mission: Remnant
Location: Ancient Alien Temple
Timeline: Early morning, Day 409
3727 words - 7.5 OF Standard Post Measure

It all happened in a matter of seconds. No matter how clever and fast, their minds would race to catch up as they were plunged into the depths beneath the monument. Betrayed by ancient structures which could no longer hold the decorative tiles they had walked on.

However before Mercy could even begin to process the sensations of falling she was plunged into cold, black water. A pool which until it had a chubby, screaming Ensign thrown into it, had been as still as an obsidian mirror. The shock of it all meant she was suspended for a few brief seconds, utterly still as she began to sink beneath the cold surface. Then instinct took over. Lungs burned for oxygen and her heart raced, forcing her to thrash. Her arms flailed as she twisted, fighting back up to the surface so she could draw in a desperate breath. Her limbs were heavy, weighed down by soaking wet uniform. As her head broke the surface she spluttered, gasped and oxygen returned, forcing back the fight or flight instinct, and allow the next most important thought to assert itself.

“Madi!?” Mercy’s voice echoed loud in the chamber. She looked around, frantic to find the woman she had come to think of as maybe her closest friend on board the ship. “Madelyn?!” What if she hadn’t hit the water? A beam of light cut through the darkness from above. It marked their impromptu entrance and mocked them for being far too high to be their point of exit.

Though neither had a way of proving it, there was every likelihood that Madelyn had surfaced first. Already a smaller frame and not attempting to carry nearly as much as her friend, it was the shock of the cold that had kept the ensign frozen in silence after the first gasp of freedom had mingled with the rest of the commotion well enough to be obscured. Holding her breath wasn't so much a choice as a result of her body's reaction to the frigid water and it took a bout of coughing to expel some of the swallowed water to clarify the brunette's location several feet behind Mercy.

"Oh my god." The words were a struggle at first but continued at pace once her diaphragm took measures to counter-act the convulsions of each shiver. "That's so cold!"

Mercy’s movement slowed as she heard Madi’s voice. Instant relief washing over her at the confirmation that the other ensign was in fact alive. Mercy’s next move was to slowly start to make her way over to the waters edge, pleased when she could at last touch the bottom of the underground pool. She heaved her now soaking wet body and pack out of the water and stood, looking back at Madi. In her hand was her scanner, which beeped merrily. Mercy sent a silent prayer into the universe, grateful for whatever engineer had the forethought to make the field equipment at least relatively water proof.

“Over here!” She called to Madi, then began to strip off her dripping wet pack and outer layer. She shivered slightly, the air down in this cave a few degrees cooler than the air above.

There had been a time in her life when Madi had been a pretty decent swimmer. Whilst her siblings had veered more towards team sports, she had liked the solitude of the swimming pool and the space it gave her to be alone with her thoughts. It had begun to lose its appeal a little when natural aptitude had prompted additional encouragement to train in earnest, as always inclined to withdraw when pushed towards any competitive mindset. Reducing the regularity of her swims hadn't entirely erased it as a decent way to deal with stress, however, and so it was slightly perplexing that her first real opportunity to indulge in it since leaving Earth was reduced to a spluttered, water-logged attempt not to swallow mouthfuls of potential pond-scum. It was an unfounded fear, the small pond seemed particularly clear of contaminants, which suggested it wasn't stagnant despite the fact that a direct source wasn't obvious in the poor light. There was no mistake regarding its temperature, however, and there was a moment after Madelyn had managed to drag herself to stand beside Mercy, arms outstretched as her uniform sagged past her hands, where her trembling resulted in the very literal chattering of teeth.

"I guess that means no thermal gas reserve." The previous night's conversation hadn't been something Madi had followed, though she had taken away from it the hope of discovering naturally-heated water sources at some point.

Mercy shook her head, and continued to strip out of her clothes so she could wring them out, her nose wrinkling as water pooled at her feet as she twisted up the garments. For a moment she was glad it was only Madi here, at least the others didn’t have to see her in a soggy state of undress. “No, at least we can safely rule out any gas reserve or hot springs at this location.” She said the words with a chuckle, but her mind was already whirring three steps ahead.

“You might want to get as much water out of your clothes as you can. We’ve not got any way of drying them properly and you’ll get uncomfortably cold if you stay dripping wet.” Once she was no longer sipping wet Mercy pulled her uniform jumpsuit back on with a grimace.

“Once you’re as dry as you can get we should take a look around and see if we can find a way out.” Mercy then started to sort through her bag, saving what she could and getting ready to move out as quickly as possible.

Every bit the half-drowned puppy, Madi took a moment to simply stare at her friend, trying to process how to follow Mercy's suggestion when it felt like moving any of her limbs would only result in her losing balance and falling over. With mounting acceptance, her gaze wandered down to take stock of her appearance, and after several botched attempts, she managed to squelch free of a boot in order to tip its contents onto the ground with a splash.

"We shouldn't wander too far," Madi cautioned, glancing up at the broken ceiling with fresh distrust. "If there's one weak point, there's probably more. Maybe we can rouse attention somehow." Even as she said the words, her tone didn't sound convinced.

Mercy gave a small shiver as she tied the top part of her jump suit around her waste. Even her socks were still soggy but at least she was no longer dripping. She rummaged through her back and then made a relieved sound as she found the torch she had packed just in case. She flicked it on and looked around the space.

“Yeah… although I don’t think there is a way back up from here so we might have to explore a little if we want to get out. You getting a comm signal down here at all?” Mercy walked a little bit away from her pack and examined the floor, letting out a sigh of relief. “Look, there’s some paving here. That means the structure isn’t entirely natural so there must have been another way down at some point.” She then began to search the walls. She looked for a doorway or other entrance that might lead them back up to the surface.

She came back to their packs and offered Madi the torch before digging out her scanner. “Perhaps I can use the scanner to map… well shit.” Her heart sank as she saw there was something in the rocks preventing her from being able to scan outside of the chamber itself. Likely some sort of metallic impurity or deposit in the rocks themselves.

Having managed to struggle free of her sodden pants, Madi froze mid-wring and stared at the ground, wide-eyed, as she processed the unusual choice of words coming from her companion. As far as she could recall, she'd never heard Mercy curse before. Continuing to twist as if nothing had happened, Madi suppressed a grimace as she pulled the cold, damp fabric back over her goosebump-riddled legs and got to work on her top half.

"We should probably still keep track of our entry point," she pointed out quietly, squinting up at the pale stream of light with at least some regard for the survival tactics she'd been subjected to around the dinner table more times than she cared to recall. "If we can't find a clear path, it'll be the best chance we have of the others finding us." Finally about as dry as she could manage, Madi shook some feeling back into her hands and feet and then reached out. "Here, give me some of the specimen jars. We can leave a trail."

Mercy looked at Madi in utter horror at that. Her hand tightened on the straps. Hand over the precious specimens? “But…” Mercy then let out a sigh. Madi was right. They needed some way for the others to spot them, and the specimens would be no good if they couldn’t find their way out. So like a reluctant version of Hansel and Gretel, Mercy dug in her pack and pulled out as many jars as she thought Madi might be able to carry.

“Let’s leave one in view of the hole and then one pointing whichever direction we go.” There were a couple of tunnels which branched off from the main chamber. If they left one at egress point then they would also be able to back track if they needed to. It was a smart move, and Mercy was suddenly intensely grateful for Madi’s presence.

As practical as it was, Madi felt a twinge of guilt as she knelt down to place the first specimen jar on a perch just next to the water, the best vantage she could give it to be visible from overhead without somehow floating it in the middle of the pond. Not only did Mercy's collection represent some strong contenders for improving life back on the ship but they were the source of the woman's enthusiasm and joy. Madelyn stopped herself from promising they would come back for everything, since that seemed somewhat difficult to know for sure at the moment, but made a private pact to try if the opportunity presented itself. Rising again, she dusted her hands on her damp pants and moved to join her friend.

"So, which way first?"

Mercy watched Madi place on of her precious specimens on the ground and then sighed. Eventually she pointed to the left. The corridor seemed to slope imperceptibly upwards, although whether it was a true incline or a trick of the light who was to say. “Let’s head that way first. We’ll stick left everytime. Just like solving a maze. Then if we hit a dead end it’s easy to work out way back.”

Even under the faint illumination from their flashlights, Madi's gaze wandered to the crumbled depictions of vaguely humanoid shapes that loomed over each entrance. Had she been a little less soaked, there would have been temptation to try and quickly sketch or record the detail in some way, since artistic representations might prove to be their only hints regarding the appearance of the once-present species. Of course, that would have required equipment and, preferably, a reduction to the sensation of being watched.

"They certainly liked to over-accentuate the eyes," she murmured quietly before dipping her head to the side to amend. "Assuming they didn't just look like that." Reaching out, she ran her fingertips along the stonework and did her best to keep pace with Mercy. Leading the way was no more comforting than falling behind; the best compromise seemed to be to stick close enough to walk abreast. "There's so many carvings." Despite their predicament, Madi couldn't completely contain her awe. "Even the walls are covered with them."

“Love comes in at the eyes.” Mercy said with a flash of a smile. “So often the eyes are significant in early spirituality of species that rely on them as a primary sensory organ. Take humans and our religious iconography of… do you think this is a temple of some kind? With a carved history of the species?” She ran a hand over the carvings, blinking in the torchlight. “Or maybe stories and myths from their religious practices?” She leaned into a cluster of people who seemed to tangled together in an embrace of some sort. Then reeled back snatching her hand off the wall.

Had she been paying attention, Madelyn may have looked sideways at her friend for skimming over the introductory synopsis of a first year cultural studies' text as if the only person within earshot hadn't devoured that content as early back as her wistful childhood. The fault was at least partially Madi's, who had retreated so far into herself in an effort to cope that her lifelong love-affair with history and the people who defined it rarely came up in conversation. There was no blame to apportion, however, as the would-be curator of the galaxy's ancient secrets was too busy squinting at her own tableaux, difficult to make out when the flashlight cast more shadows than were helpful.

"A temple, some sort of crypt maybe, though there could also be a recreational aspect. The Romans decorated their bath houses, likewise the Japanese and their onsen or the Chinese pavilions. I wouldn't expect them to be so far undergrou..."

Her voice trailed off.

"Um."

It also wasn't a likely location for a sporting venue.

Mercy snickered, holding up her torch to the carving of people entwined in what, by earth standards at least, appeared to be some sort of carnal group act. “Recreational indeed.” Mercy’s cheeks were on fire, but in the low light it was nearly impossible to tell. There was an awkward moment as both women stood there, Mercy desperately trying to think of something to say as a follow up while also avoiding looking like she was staring at the carvings.

“Looks like there is light up ahead.” She gestured down the corridor, moving towards it. As the corridor widened Mercy paused and gasped in delight. In the next chamber alongside statues and carvings a huge number of tiny, glowing mushrooms had moved in. They were everywhere. Mercy had whipped out her scanner before Madi could even blink, and bent down over the nearest clump.

“Would you look at these. Well hi there, what are you and what do you do?” Mercy chuckled as she scanned the mushrooms. “Looks like they would be a good source of potassium in our diets.” She slipped her heavy pack off and started to dig around for a sample canister. “Should be safe to consume and relatively easy to grow-Aha!” She whipped out one of the last remaining sample canisters and held it aloft in victory.

She then turned on her heel to look for Madi however instead she came face to crotch with a very naked statue of an alien. The noise Mercy made in that moment would be impossible to recreate later, as it was one of pure instinctual shock. Dropping the sample container she reeled back, only for the floor, which time had worn uneven, to betray her. Twisting, she landed hard. All the air rushed out of her as she lay sprawled at the foot of the statue. For a moment she was so still she might even seem unconscious. Then Mercy gasped, trying to roll onto her back and push up to her feet only to immediately fall back down as white hot pain throbbed from somewhere in the vicinity of her ankle.

A slightly delayed response became the fault of an overwhelming amount of distraction. Initially, the discovery of a light source was a boon, both for the assistance in improving visibility and offering an excuse to divert attention away from the now-looming depictions that Madi desperately hoped were not anatomically to scale. It was difficult to avoid staring entirely, however, as the additional illumination only accentuated the partially-preserved statues, many of whom she very quickly determined to be at an uncomfortable vantage in relation to eye-height. It wasn't that she didn't understand Mercy's exuberance, more that the constant windfall of edible plants was struggling to compete with the impressive dimensions of the previous inhabitant's self-image.

The tangle of a creeper, making the most of co-habitation with the luminous fungi, had made for an awkward moment of hesitancy before Madi worked up the nerve to reach out and try to unhook a particularly long vine from a protuberance she opted not to formally identify. The abrupt commotion behind her made her jump, guilt-ridden, as if caught in the act of something scandalous, and it took her a moment after spinning around with cheeks aflame to properly process what had happened. Her eyes widened, all thoughts of embarrassment dissipating in an instant as she rushed to crouch beside her friend.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

Mercy tried again to get to her feet only to hiss and then shake her head and give up. “Ankle. Felt something pop. Either twisted or a bad sprain but…” She spoke through gritted teeth, breaking off what she was saying to breathe through the pain. She looked at Madi for a long moment then handed her the torch. “Hurts too much to put weight on it, and… I don’t think you can carry me so you are going to need to go and get help. You going to be okay?” Mercy tried to give the younger woman a brave smile, but she didn’t relish being left alone injured in the old temple. However despite her own pain she was clearly worried about the young ensign going off alone.

It took every ounce of composure that Madelyn could muster not to refuse. Though a concern for leaving an injured crewmate wasn't very far behind, there was no denying her first reaction was fixated solely on having to traverse potential catacombs on her own. She hesitated, stopping herself from reaching for the injured foot's boot whilst she considered whether it was better or worse to leave it on. "Can we strap it with something?" It seemed a reasonable suggestion, despite the partial motivation of delaying any other form of reaction.

“I don’t know if taking these boots off is such a good idea.” Mercy said looking down. Her ankle throbbed and she hissed in pain. “Didn’t bring a first aid kit but we could maybe look around for some vines or something. Would need something flat to brace against it if it’s broken… and a stick or crutch to take some of my weight.” Mercy looked around the room. The vibes might work as an improvised rope but she couldn’t see anything else that might help.

“Oh! Check my pack for a sample marked 025? It’s got some mild painkilling properties. It could maybe… unless we left it behind as part of our breadcrumb trail.” What a mess. The Captain would never let her go out exploring again when she got back. Mercy’s chest tightened when she imagined the disappointment on Darru’s face when he heard about this. She tried to stay positive and think at least they would survive long enough for her to disappoint her crush.

“Darru’s going to really think I’m an idiot now.” She muttered the words darkling and rubbed at her temples.

"Nobody's going to think you're an idiot."

There was a tinge more heat to Madi's tone than was typical, likely a mixture of concern and mounting anxiety, though it seemed clear enough that she was prepared to 'have words' with anyone who wanted to pass judgement. Pulling over Mercy's pack and setting it where the woman could at least reach it, Madi rummaged and pulled out one of the few remaining specimen jars. "Is this it?"

Mercy took the cannister and then cracked it open. Pulling out some of the leaves she nodded. "Yeah, that's good. Thanks Madi." Mercy was intensely grateful for the serious young woman. "You going to be okay finding a way out? Want to take the scanner in case you find something you need to check?" Mercy then popped some of the leaves in her mouth, and grimaced as she started chewing. "Bitter." She said, her teeth quickly turning green as she forced herself not to spit them out. Soon her tongue was starting to feel vaguely numb, a sign the painkilling properties were taking effect.

Another moment passed and then, out of things to fuss about, Madi sat crouched in hesitation to gather her wits. She had taken the water cannister from Mercy's bag and then zipped it up to use as a means of slightly elevating the damaged leg. Sitting around damp wasn't going to be particularly comfortable, or very safe long-term, and the understanding that both of them risked hypothermia if they remained stuck underground for too long was proof enough that there was no time left for stalling. Quietly, she rose, took the scanner and her flashlight and filled her own small satchel with the second water bottle and the handful of empty specimen jars still remaining.

"I'm going to back-track and try that other corridor," she declared, feigning courage beyond what she actually felt. "With any luck, it won't be another dead end but if it is, I'll just go back to the hole we made and see if I can figure something out. I'll find someone, don't worry."

Though the smile she offered her friend didn't quite reach her eyes, Madi slipped back the way they'd come at least partially mollified that she'd done her best to instil hope. Without so much as a sideways glance at the carvings she'd been so fascinated by on the way in, she followed the dotted pathway of scattered specimen jars and hoped that, if this was a temple of some sorts, its patron god was in a good mood.