the steps of survival — ota

[rescapee]

Who: La'an Noonien-Singh + whomever wants cr pre-event
What: Patrolling, corpse disposal, investigating, supplies
When: September; days before the event + non-event things
Where: Around Milton

Content Warnings: La'an's warnings, corpses, + TBA


step 1: recognize the situation ( open to 1 person dr_unconscious )

[ This isn't the first time La'an Noonien-Singh has been trapped somewhere against her will. Really, she supposes she should count herself lucky that the frozen landscape means this can't possibly be the work of the Gorn — the cold-blooded lizards avoid the cold and would never choose this place as a hunting ground. Of course, if it were the Gorn, she would at least have some idea of how to handle everything, whereas all of this is... beyond her.

She isn't a scientist. She can't even begin to guess what the atmospheric phenomenon might be and whether it is the cause behind the damaged electronics or their presence here. But she can still gather information and put together pieces as she's able, and perhaps someone here will be able to take it further than her. Working in Starfleet has taught her to rely on the strengths of others as much as her own, so she just has to hope that someone here will be able to further connect the dots.

To that end, she continues searching through the homes that haven't been claimed by other unwilling residents. With a foraged notebook in hand, she documents the state of each home, what was taken and left behind, and what she can tell of the former residents. And whenever she finds a journal of one of those residents, she clears a space at the kitchen table and settles in to read, paying close attention to the final days recorded in 2014 as the town's situation worsened. ]

step 2: establish priorities ( open to all )

[ Patrolling the perimeter of the town feels natural to La'an. Bundled up against the cold (though not as much as she really should be) with a red scarf standing out against all the black, she does her best to ignore the elements while focusing on the familiar. Walking the hallways of the Enterprise is one of her many duties aboard ship, checking in at different locations to ensure everything is working smoothly and there are no issues in need of her attention. She may not have a team to check in with here, but she still has a self-appointed mission to keep these people safe for as long as they're trapped here, which isn't something she's going to shirk.

So she walks. In the morning, at midday, and when night falls, she walks along the edge of the town, keeping watch for any of the predators she'd heard while traveling here, or for signs of anyone in need of help. ]

step 3: inventory supplies ( open to 1 person moralabsolutism )

[ It's been days since her arrival and La'an has yet to explore the town's grocery store. Her attention has been devoted to uncovering details of what happened in Milton and how they were brought here, but as she accepts that answers might not be as forthcoming as she would like, she's going to have to take stock of what they have available to them.

There's an almost ominous feeling as she steps into the building, the large room quiet and devoid of life. It's been years since she even set foot in a place like this, which makes it all the more unsettling, but in she goes, choosing an aisle at random, her hands stuffed into the pockets of her jacket as her footsteps almost echo through the silence. ]

step 4: stay calm ( closed to fidior )

[ After finding the initial bodies in her first days in Milton, it has become increasingly apparent that there are too many to leave untended. These were once people, so of course they deserve to be laid to rest in some appropriate manner, but more than that, bodies decay. La'an can still vividly recall the smell of rotting remains on the Gorn planet, the stench mixing with the sheer terror of fighting for survival to create a memory that will be forever seared into her memory. And since she very much doubts that many of the people here have enough experience with death to stomach what needs to be done, she takes it upon herself, at first taking care of the corpses found in the houses she visits to investigate left-behind belongings, and then purposefully searching other locations for any missed remains.

Moving the bodies is anything but easy. The ones out exposed to the elements are frozen solid, and the ones found indoors in unheated areas aren't much different. But it's the ones in warming areas that worry La'an most — enough time has passed since the time of death that rigor mortis has disappeared and decomposition has begun. This is a dangerous time for the living, especially when they barely even have the most basic archaeological medicine to rely on.

The churchyard is her destination with the latest body. Using an old shower curtain, she wraps the heavy fabric around the corpse of an older man and slowly drags the frozen weight through the snow-covered street. It's exhausting work but she doesn't let that stop her. This is work that needs to be done. ]

step 5: use everything at your disposal ( wildcard )

( Comment below if you would like a custom starter, or leave one for me! This post is to establish some last-minute, pre-event CR to help set the stage for whatever is in store for us this month. These threads don't have to go on for a long time, since we'll all likely dive headfirst into event things soon, but if anyone would like to meet a stoic, absolutely not from the future, badass Starfleet officer in disguise, here's your chance.

And don't forget to check out La'an's permissions, if you haven't already! )

Comments

[rescapee]

La'an hadn't expected to run into anyone else on her patrol either, her time walking the borders of the town usually spent in solitary silence. Such company isn't unwelcome, by any means, it's just not something she's used to. Most of the people here don't seem overly concerned with protecting the town from the predators in the forest, despite how easy it would be for anything to stroll down main street searching for its next meal.

Looking the boy over, she frowns slightly at the rifle but doesn't address it. There will be time for that later. In her usual lilting British accent, she replies, "Neither did I. There aren't usually many people out here."

Then, after a moment, because curiosity demands it, she adds, "Why are you out here?"

[solitarysoul]

He notices the frown, not sure if its because he was out here or because of the gun. Didn't really matter anyway. "Its probably safer in town. I think that's why people stay there.
"I'm...scouting. I haven't been out this far yet."

[rescapee]

Her frown deepens and she crosses her arms, her expression growing slightly concerned. He's not wrong about why people have stayed within the town, which leads her to wonder what's pushed him to venture beyond that safety.

"It's important to know your surroundings, but you also need to be ready to defend yourself against whatever might be out there." She nods at the weapon he carries and asks, "Do you know how to use that?"

It's entirely possible he'd found the gun here, but she isn't willing to simply assume that and risk being wrong later. If she's going to protect these people, she needs to know what they're capable of.

[solitarysoul]

He takes a moment to keep himself from sighing. He supposes its good that people don't look and him and just see 'solider' but something about being accused of not knowing how to use his rifle rubs him the wrong way. "I can defend myself. I was in the army."

[rescapee]

She has the impression she might have offended him but she doesn't backpedal or apologize. Her job is to assess situations for the safety of the people under her protection, regardless of the personal feelings of anyone involved.

"Then I'm sure you understand why I had to ask," she points out authoritatively, noting he hadn't actually specified whether he could use that particular weapon. "Armed civilians without proper training could be as dangerous to the safety of this town as anything out in that forest."

cw: kids being sent to war

[solitarysoul]

The authoritative tone immediately puts him into a'this person out ranks you' mindset.

"...yeah. It could turn really bad if people just start shooting each other, even by accident. But I know how to use it. I've been serving for five years, Ma'am."

He looks rather young, though.

[rescapee]

Five years. That makes her pause, her entire perception of this child changing with a single sentence. What sort of world does he come from that he's been serving in a military for five years already? Unless he isn't human, but that's not a possibility she's willing to openly explore without having more information first.

Her tone softens slightly, though she's still very much in superior officer mode now. "What's your name, soldier?"

[solitarysoul]

He'd argue that he's not a child, but would whole heartily agree that he started too early. It was all too common where he came from and he's not realized that's not how it is in other places.

"Levi Jořdán. Um...nice to meet you?"

[rescapee]

"And you," she replies properly, uncrossing her arms and instead holding her hands behind her back in her standard professional stance. "My name is La'an. Are you another recent arrival?"

There are so many here who are as new as she is, it makes her wonder what might have changed to suddenly bring in so many people. Especially given the unsettling fate of the town's previous residents...

[solitarysoul]

Levi straightens up as well, standing at attention. "Yes Ma'am. I think the only one who's been here is the old guy at the community center."

Methuselah's probably moved on by now, but Levi has been mostly avoiding the community center so he doesn't know that yet.

[rescapee]

That had been her assumption as well, though it's good to have someone else's input for confirmation. There are so many strange things at work in this place, the more data they have, the greater the possibility they might be able to discern something about where they are or why they're here.

"It seems strange for so many of us to arrive at the same time," she muses, mostly to herself but still loudly enough for Levi to be included. "There must be a reason we were brought here, either by intent or cause."

[solitarysoul]

"I think something, or someone, brought us here. I don't know if there's a way to learn anything else, but only a God could do something like this." Gods were just normal where he came from. Well, lots of places didn't really believe in them anymore, but he'd recently learned they were still very much around.

[rescapee]

"That's certainly one theory," she agrees slowly, not wanting to disrespect his religious beliefs or cultural practices but also struggling with how to approach offering alternative options. She doesn't know anything about him or his experience with science.

"Walk with me for a bit?" She poses it as a question, though she's already turning by the end, preparing to do at least another partial lap around the town before calling it.

[solitarysoul]

"Its the only one I can think of...but there are a lot of things I don't know." He nods. "Lead the way, Ma'am."

Its not like he had any real path in mind himself. And its easy to slip back into following orders...better than trying to figure out things for himself.