USS Denver – High Orbit over Vulcan

Riandri sat on the sofa in her quarters and stared at the reddish-brown orb that hung below the ship as she internalized the events leading up to the Battle of Betazed and to now. The Denver had arrived over Vulcan several days earlier and it had been a whirlwind of activity as the ship and the remaining vessels in the fleet scrambled for repairs. The news of the Romulans entering the war on the slide of the Federation and Klingon Empire was a relief but brought its own stress to her life especially when compounded with her rapid promotion and position as acting XO. 

She was pulled from her thoughts as a battle-scared Excelsior-class vessel drifted between the Denver and the planet. She tried to make out the name of the vessel but scorch marks had blasted way part of her name and registry. As she watched it drift by, worker-bees and crew were visible on her hull and around her eyes caught the dark outlines of what she thought were the Llangon Mountains. Memories of hiking through them over 60 years prior came to mind and she couldn’t help but smile. The years she had spent on Vulcan after the turn of the 24th century had been pleasant ones.

After only a moment’s hesitation, she confirmed she could take 24 hours of shore leave and grabbed her bag. Within minutes she had changed into loose-fitting pants, a top, grabbed her hat, sleeping gear and replicated enough food and water for a couple of days. With that, she left her quarters and made her way to the transporter room.

Vulcan – Llangon Mountains; Late afternoon

Late in the afternoon Riandri sat at the edge of a large cliff and looked down from the mountainside trail that she had been climbing for the last couple of hours and took in the view of the rugged and harsh landscape. Taking a long swig of water she couldn’t help but feel relaxed. She knew this was only a temporary reprieve from the war but being back here and on this trail took her back to a time that was less chaotic for her, when she was finally starting to pull the pieces of her life back together after fleeing from the Borg for so many years. Before the loss of James, the return of the Borg and this god-forsaken war.

Finishing her water she packed the container into her bag and set off further up the trail. She knew a small cave that would offer shelter during the night but it was several hours of hiking from her current location. Switching on her headphones she continued further into the mountain range, enjoying the solitude. 

Vulcan – Llangon Mountains; Evening

Riandri carefully made her way along the narrow trail, she pressed her body up against the rock face and avoided looking down into the empty void before her. When the sun had set visibility dropped dramatically and the cliff face at the edge of the trail contained nothing but empty air. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember the trail having such a narrow passageway.

“Could I have gotten turned around?” she wondered out loud as she took the last couple of small steps before reaching the wider part of the trail. She paused and looked around, the powerful headlamp she wore illuminating her surroundings. She breathed a sigh of relief when she recognized several of the rocky outcroppings before she turned back and looked at the narrow path. Looking up the slop from it she could see what looked like the remnants of a rockslide.

“Damn, good thing I wasn’t walking along here when that let going…” she mussed before walking the final one hundred meters to the cave she was looking for.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally set her bag down and sat on a rock just outside the mouth of the cave to rest her feet for a few minutes. The remnants of a firepit were visible and she grabbed some dry bushes and other material from nearby and quickly lit a small fire. Pulling out a small collapsible pot she started to boil some water.

She was interrupted when she heard rustling coming from behind her, without thinking she jumped to her feet and spun around phaser in hand. As she did a small rodent-like Hayalit scurried between one bush and the next.

Shaking her head she sat back down. “You are too jumpy Ria,” she said to herself as she put the phaser away and rubbed the back of her next.

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully as she enjoyed a cup of peppermint tea and some MREs with the occasional visit from the Hayalit before she climbed into her sleeping bag and went to sleep. Her last thought before sleep overtook her was how much she enjoyed getting away from everything for an afternoon.