Chapter 15. Tiny Parker is in love
"Mr. Pike and I have made a plan for the next few days," Daisy explained. "We will work according to this plan first, and if necessary, we can adjust it according to the actual situation." She looked at the two people alternately, and they nodded in agreement. "Okay, I wish you a happy study. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me." She turned and left the room. Now they both stay here. Pike kept a serious expression and gestured for her to come over to the console. Pike still has a clear prejudice against Tiny.
"Please, Ms. Tiny." He addressed her as "Ms." and also used her first name. Apparently, he was heavily inclined to think she was just the captain's daughter. Tiny liked it so much that she didn't correct him.
"I'll start by explaining to you the basics of how a teleporter works." He began to teach her about the teleporter scanner and pattern buffer, and explained the rematerialization process. Tini discovered that he was actually quite handsome. His voice is also very pleasant. And his hands move fluidly in his movements. She begins to think that he is not as scary as she thought at the bar.
She followed him intently and occasionally helped. But not often, because she didn't want to disrupt his train of thought. But it turns out she knew something too. This seemed to change his impression of her. Pike had found her arrogant before, especially at the bar. However, he now discovered that, at least in this professional world, Tiny was not like that. Not only is she dedicated, but she learns pretty quickly. He is satisfied with this. So at the end of the day, Tiny was able to give her dad an overwhelmingly positive feedback.
Time passed quickly, but it was unremarkable. Everyone goes about their business while researchers keep an eye on Planet Kuafu IV every day, gradually piecing all the information together. The planet does seem ripe for colonization. At least, that's what the research conducted suggests. So the days passed, turned into weeks, then months. In addition to the routine day-to-day work, there is a lot of time for leisure activities. Therefore, it is easier for new crew members to integrate into the team than for other tasks. Everyone makes friends easier, including Ingemar and Tiny, and they are no exception. Although Ingmar has a bit of a bad reputation, Tiny is the captain's daughter.
But for Tiny, a lot has changed during this time. As she becomes more integrated into the team, she feels like she truly belongs somewhere for the first time. She gradually felt more at home. The people here are great and accept each other for who they are. When encountering problems, everyone supports and helps each other. She had never seen such unity anywhere else. As time goes by and she feels more and more like she belongs, she hopes more and more that this mission will never end. Because once it ends, she will wake up from this dream. She doesn't belong to Starfleet. She had to leave the ship if she had the chance. She didn't want to think about it just yet, but the thought kept coming back. Four months had passed, which meant she had at most two more before she had to face reality. For a happy person, this is an extremely short time. Because the relationship between her and her father is getting better and better. Not only that, but she began to fall in love with him, like her own father. He loved her so much, she could feel it. She had never felt so secure in her life. It's nice to know where you belong. And she does know now.
She is passionate about her work and enjoys it. She had great fun studying the ship's technical systems. She went through several job rotations in the engine room, but eventually returned to the teleporter. She feels best here. Part of the reason is because of Parker. As the contact between them increases, their relationship becomes better and better. He became more and more approachable. They cooperated with each other and started joking with each other. They both find that the other is actually kind and charming. He could hardly think of anything else but her. Unnoticed by them, they developed feelings for each other. After some time, they became a couple.
Tiny felt like she could embrace the whole world. She wishes most that time could stop so that she would never lose this happiness. She never wanted to be anywhere else, to be anyone else. It would be nice if everything now continues like this forever. But of course she also knew that this was impossible. Time moves on relentlessly, as if its mission is to eventually turn every happiness into misfortune. And this will happen when Republic returns to Earth two months later.
Ingmar sat in the shuttle and headed to the scientists' base. He easily piloted the shuttle, flying through the atmosphere quickly and flexibly, enjoying the joy of this small maneuverable flight. He is one of Starfleet's best pilots and loves speed.
Yesterday, Captain Noah told him that today he would explore the area around the base from the air with some scientists. While Republic's orbital sensors can scan and analyze the area, this is by no means a substitute for on-the-ground exploration. Every self-proclaimed scientist must see with his or her own eyes the place they wish to study. The human eye may be more sensitive to things that are so unique that even computers can't tell them what to pay attention to. With this flight, scientists hope to take a closer look at some sites that look promising in the scans.
It will be a relatively uneventful flight for Ingmar, but nonetheless, he is happy to be here. During the mission, the pilots had few opportunities to fly the shuttle. So he immediately accepted the opportunity. Now he just needs to go to the base to pick up the scientists, and then he can set off.
Ingmar landed the shuttle smoothly on a naturally flat area near a building and shut down the thrusters. He got here a little early, but he just couldn't wait to get started. So he set out a little earlier and now had to wait a while. He slowly checked all the systems to make sure everything was functioning properly. Then he stood up and opened the door on the side of the cockpit. He wanted to let in the fresh planetary air first. Although he knew that the air purification system of the small craft would soon return to a sterile state, he felt more comfortable when the natural air touched his nose.
His boots rustled slightly on the grass as he stepped out. It was still early morning and the sun was just about to rise above the horizon. There is a characteristic freshness in the air, a special moment that exists only at this time, between night and day, lasting only a few minutes. The eastern sky was light and almost cloudless. It heralds another beautiful day, while the western sky remains dark and the shadows of night are fading.
They set out early to make the most of the entire day. Scientists plan to explore as much of the surrounding area as possible. After all the entire planet would be used for colonization, not just the small part they were on now. And there shouldn't be any unpleasant surprises there.
Ingmar stretched and took a deep breath. As a crew member of a spaceship, you rarely get the chance to enjoy the sunrise. So he turned his gaze to the east and watched the sun rise over the horizon. It was a shining fireball, its pure light spread across the earth, showing a sublime scene at the moment of rising. He watched with fascination as the sun rose over the treetops on the horizon and slowly rose higher into the sky. Watching the sunrise is a sublime feeling every time, and Ingmar understands why ancient civilizations on Earth viewed the sun as a god.
The sun and the entire planet's environment were so visually indistinguishable from Earth that he even momentarily forgot that this was not his home sun. It doesn't matter either, because the emotions he feels here are valid.
Through the sound of tramping grass, he heard someone coming towards him. Since the building was behind him, he had to turn around to get a good look at the man. It was actually two people walking towards him. He recognized Joseph Ive, who was unique among the scientists because of his plump stature. And there's Pedi, one of the geologists on the mission. A geologist and a botanist will also take part in the expedition, and they are very interested in the different plant species and the entire flora and fauna of the flyover area.
"Mr. Ingemar, you are a punctual man," Joseph Yves said happily, and shook Ingemar's hand enthusiastically. Apparently, among these scientists, he was a bit bored. Things would certainly be much less limited in this camp than on the Republic, and his entertainment might be somewhat restricted.
"You are just as punctual," Ingmar replied cheerfully. Because they did show up at the appointed time. The other two colleagues seemed less concerned about time.
"This is also an exciting trip for me. I hope to make new discoveries in order to continue my work," Yves explains. "But it might be a bit boring for you. You'll be flying around with these wacky scientists all day long."
Ingmar smiled. "Yeah, that's right. But I'm in the driver's seat. If I don't feel right, I'll simply fly back."
Before Joseph Ive could say anything, two other scientists walked around the spacecraft. The hydrogeologist gave up communicating with the others and entered the shuttle instead. Others followed in and found their seats. Before that, they also put away some of the instruments they carried with them. After all, everyone brought some instruments with them, just in case they needed to land to investigate some places. Although this was not planned, who knows, there may be something interesting to land and observe. Although they are all realistic and educated, each secretly hopes to make a momentous discovery that will win them a Nobel Prize or some similar honor.
When everyone was aboard the shuttle and seated with a view through the windows, Ingmar fired up the thrusters. The spaceship slowly lifted off, shining brightly under the already rising sun. Through the windows in the shuttle's floor, they watched the ground recede away. Republic's engineering team spent the past few days installing the window specifically for this flight. Ingemar could still hear Daisy cursing because the installation process was more complicated than the Starfleet bosses had imagined. After all, a lot of supply lines ran through the floor, all of which had to be rerouted. Otherwise, the little shuttle will eventually run out of power.
After a brief pause above the trees, Ingmar stopped flying upwards and then began flying according to the previously formulated flight plan. This allows them to cover the widest possible area, flying hundreds of square kilometers by the end of the day.
At the beginning of the flight, the scenery was no different than around the camp, but then the scene changed and the scenery became more desolate. The trees disappeared and only a few dry shrubs grew on the grassland. The grass looks dry and less attractive. From orbit, it appears that the entire planet is covered in rivers or lakes, but no bodies of water are visible here. Finally, the vegetation disappeared entirely, and they flew across a desert of cracked rock. The air ripples across the land and is extremely hot. Although the temperature measured by the sensor exceeded 80 degrees Celsius, the spacecraft's life support system continued to operate stably and therefore did not feel the high temperature outside.
"For a continent, such a desert is not surprising," explained geologist Pedi. "Earth's continents were once clustered together, and there was always a huge desert in the center. There was only green vegetation along the coastlines and in strips hundreds of kilometers wide."
"On such a continent, the water cycle no longer works. The clouds make it rain before they reach the land," Joseph Ive continued. "So in the heart of such a continent, it never rains. No water gets there. This leads to aridity and desiccation of the surface."
Pedi nodded in agreement. "It's a wonder this planet isn't one giant desert."
"Not actually a miracle," countered Joseph Ive. "Although there are no oceans here, the planet does seem to have quite a lot of water. Since it cannot be concentrated in a large area, it must be distributed throughout the planet. This is beneficial to vegetation. I also guess that there is a huge underground water here, even It could be an underground ocean. The water must have created its own caves underground and flowed through them. But for some reason, there is no water in this area. Maybe the rocks here are different," he speculated.
"It's possible," Peddie responded. He picked up the data pad and entered some information. They need to study the land more closely. However, this requires special equipment, both technical and personnel themselves, since at such temperatures humans cannot work.
The flight continued and before long the rocky desert gave way to lush green land. The number of rivers increased and so did the life. They flew over lakes and swamps, over tundra and taiga, but mostly endless stretches of dense forest. Vegetation thrives here, while animal life is relatively sparse. There are no larger mountain ranges, which is due to the lack of tectonic movement. Therefore, large tracts of land could not form. The only ones that remain are a few small hills, remnants of former mountains that have been gradually eroded by wind and water over the past millions of years.
Since they were in constant search mode, instead of taking a direct route back to camp, they were constantly flying over new areas. After flying for more than half a day, Ingemar became a little bored. Although at first he was delighted with the expedition and enjoyed piloting the shuttle himself. But after a few hours, things got monotonous. They always fly at the same speed and predetermined route. For a pilot, there wasn't much to do. So he ultimately handed over control to the autonomous driving system and acted as an observer.
"Stop!" Joseph Ive finally stopped him, and Ingmar turned off the automatic driving system and executed the corresponding instructions. The small spacecraft stopped above the tree canopy, and Ingmar could not see anything special here.
"Fly higher," Joseph Ive requested again, "but slowly."
Ingemar did as he was told, and the spacecraft slowly rose. Until the scientists thought they were high enough, Ingmar ordered the autopilot to hold its position, then stood up and walked to the back. Let these scientists explain what's interesting here.
Joseph Yves gestured to him to go to the window and pointed down. "Did you see that?" he asked.
Ingmar looked down. Hundreds of meters below, an endless forest stretches in every direction. These trees are primarily a foliage tree, and since there are no seasonal changes, they remain green all year round. Ingemar doesn't know if they will lose their leaves. Maybe even scientists don't know. Other than that, he didn't see anything special. So, he expressed his opinion accordingly.
"Look more carefully," Joseph Ive urged him, "over there." His finger drew a circle, as if to enclose a specific area.
Ingemar looked hard. At first he didn't notice anything, but then he finally did. In this area, the forest does not appear to have grown at the same time as elsewhere. The trees are a slightly different green color, and they are also thinner and smaller. It's as if the forest in this area was once cleared and then slowly grew back. But no one can cut down trees on this planet.
"Hurricane?" Ingmar guessed, even though he knew nothing about the subject.
"No way. There's no way a storm could create a gap in the middle of the forest. It would need an attack surface, like a ridge or something like that," Peddie replied. "Only a hurricane can create a situation like this in the middle of an intact forest, but this area is so small."
"And the weather on this planet is so stable that hurricanes are impossible," Joseph Ive added. He got this information from the team's atmospheric scientists.
"So what is it?" Ingmar wondered.
