Red Means Dead

Eris IV

Stepping out of the shuttlepod, I take as deep of a breath as I can and hold it as long as possible. The air has an almost chalky, graphite smell and taste to it but it's fresh and there's a soft breeze that blows some of the hair from my ponytail. It's funny how it is the littlest things one takes for granted that mean the most in the long run.

McCoy, Meiying, two science personnel, several other engineers and I make up the first landing party. Commander Spock would lead the second and the Captain's group will go tomorrow. Command wasn't necessarily needed to collect data, but smelling the fresh air, I could understand the desire to be on planet.

The wind gusts briefly, causing a small shiver to rock through my body and I smile, enjoying the sensation.

"Y'alright there, Lieutenant Walker?"

Flummoxed, I turn and gape at McCoy. He's gazing back at me, completely stone-faced and almost bored. I've only seen this face a few times, during down times or when we're in a large group and he is quietly processing what others are saying. This is his face for everyone else.

I ask, "What did you just call me?"

His face stays so incredibly stoic, he could almost be a hologram. "I believe your name, Lieutenant Walker. Is there something wrong with that? Anything else would be inappropriate given the circumstances. We're not on a beach," he teases, lowering his voice so only I can hear him.

Pursing my lips, I pointedly remove my tricorder and divert all my attention to it before marching off to begin my work. I can almost feel his grin through my entire body but I refuse to look at him to confirm it's there.

I walk up to the rockface and crane my neck back, following the slick, black surface until it disappears in the purple clouds. We have been told that the skies here are pink, the atmosphere and the star working in tandem to create the pastel palette around us, but the cloud cover is too thick to see the sky currently. The angle of the planet and our location indicates that we've landed in an area experiencing winter. It was the only viable option as the summer months bring hellacious dust storms and temperature fluctuations that spike near 130 centigrade. There is a plethora of flora in nearly every flat surface and crevasse in the mountain's face except for this surprisingly barren area that we are scouting. The side of this mountain somewhat reminds me of the step pyramids of Djoser, or at least what the pictures of them look like as they were destroyed in the last World War. Initial data mapped eight areas like this one up the side of this mountain alone. Other mountains in the region have similar topography which Commander Spock is going to examine in greater detail when he and his team arrive later.

It's the fauna, though, that has my attention as a brilliantly colored bird with three sets of wings flutters above, seemingly unperturbed by our presence as it ducks into a small cavity in the rock. It is only using one set of its wings, spanning a good half meter, while the other sets provide very minor course corrections. Why would it need three such sets when it appeared one is adequate for these conditions? I theorize that those other sets may be needed if weather patterns ever change.

Another bird with strikingly different coloring and quite a bit smaller frame than the first soon follows with a beak full of twigs almost frantically hopping around with far too much energy for such a small body. It appears to be the female of the same species and I make a note to study the benefits of such drastically different features later during my time here.

Over the edge of my tricorder, a parade of rodents grabs my attention. They remind me of what moles look like back home as they scurry over some of the rock shards that are pooled at the wall base and settle around a patch of bright red flowers, munching on the foliage.