Selok and Rash'al

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Smoke spewed from the console beside him. Red lights flashed as the sound around him slowly died, and a pain in his right shoulder made him blink heavily as he tried to shift his other arm from under his side. 'The shuttle crashed.' Was the first thing that came to his mind, and he blinked again as he shifted himself up and slowly began to make his way to standing.

The shuttle was wrecked. The sounds became inaudible even to his ears, and he stumbled over to the front of it as the lights dimmed rapidly. He hit a button and a stream of light hit his eyes. He squinted, raising a hand to stay the harsh rays as the door opened with the last of the energy cells. It came to a slow halt not quite to the ground, but if he noticed then it was not important enough for recognition. He stood from where he had reached to grab the emergency kit and walked slowly down the ramp, still shielding his eyes. The sun was close to the planet telling by the light and heat intensity. It was the Class M planet he and his ship had been near during the attack. He remembered clearly too that there had been no signs of other lifeforms.

Taking a small leap to cover the remaining distance to the ground, he turned his eyes out to the landscape. His eyes began to adjust, but as far as he could see, it was all sand.

Turning in a slow circle, he stopped when looking to his right. There was another shuttle not 50 yards from his. He lowered his hand. It was not a Federation shuttle.

In fact, the shape and craft of the shuttle was not all unlike the make of his own shuttle...except perhaps for its notably cruder make. Like his shuttle, however, it appeared to be completely wrecked, and was contributing greatly to the amount of smoke that was spiraling up into the hot air around them.

A sharp clanging sound suddenly filled the air again, and the door to the shuttle was broken open, undoubtedly due to the thick black boot that followed it a nano second later. The occupant of the shuttle emerged afterward, pulling himself out of the interior and leaping down to the sand below. And the moment he entered the sunlight, several features immediately stood out to the observing Vulcan.

Pointed ears. Upswept eyebrows. Green blood glistening lightly over pale skin. And yet...undoubtedly not Vulcan. That left only one other possibility.

The occupant of the other shuttle was looking around, squinting in the sunlight and glaring at the landscape around him. It took only one turn of his head to the right to notice that he wasn't alone, however, and immediately his posture stiffened. His eyes narrowed even further, if that were possible.

"A Vulcan." was all he stated, after another second of silence. "Who are you?"

Yes. It was definitely a Romulan.

Selok seemed to think for a moment as to how he should respond.

"I am Selok," He said after a moment, apparently deciding it to be only logical to share the information as he straighted his shirt and looked further around the surroundings. He paused briefly when he spotted a green horizon, turning back to the Romulan after a brief silence. "And you?"

"Selok," the Romulan repeated, ignoring the Vulcan's question. He considered the name for a moment, before turning away to lift back the broken door to his shuttle again, throwing the metal aside. "You're no ambassador. What business do you have in the Neutral Zone?"

Selok watched him for another moment, eying his movements as the door he had put to the side stilled immediately in the rough sand. The observation of his fellow strandee was apparent. Just before the lack of response become noticeable however, he turned away - walking out of sight behind his shuttle.

The Romulan did not seem to have expected an answer, as he disappeared back inside his own shuttle at nearly the same moment.

He cursed under his breath when he came back into the dark, sparking interior of the craft. Any possibility of repair seemed to be minute to none. There wasn't even a drop of power left in the entire system. Kicking aside half of the command chair and a metal panel from what was supposed to have been the ceiling (but was now part of the floor), he forced his way into the back of the shuttle to retrieve the two titanium alloy packs that were attached to the back wall. If nothing else, at least neither of those would have been damaged.

He reemerged from the shuttle and back into the sunlight afterward. The rays were notably intense. Had he not possessed the natural tolerance for high levels of heat that his species was known for, he knew he would have cause for mild concern. If any of those humans from the terrain had succeeded in stowing away, they would be simmering nicely in a matter of minutes.

He glanced toward the other shuttle disdainfully when his full eyesight returned. The Vulcan was still inside. Selok. He hadn't heard of that name before. And, considering his mission, that had to mean that this Vulcan was of no significance. Probably just an envoy, or on a delivery mission that had gone wrong. Either way, it followed his pattern of fortune perfectly to crash-land on a desert planet alongside one of his soft-bellied ancestral relations. Mar'dok had been absolutely right. He never should have even considered this mission.

He leapt out of the entryway to the shuttle, picking up the discarded door irritably and slamming it back in place. It would be best not to allow the inside of the shuttle to endure too much exposure to the sun. Melted wires would do nothing for any possible remaining hope of fixing the engines. Of course, all of this would have been much worse if he'd thought his shuttle was in worser condition to the Vulcan's shuttle. But judging from even the external damage of the other shuttle, there was no chance that that was the case.

Tossing the packs aside, he glanced around to take in his surroundings. The place seemed completely desert. But a sharp green rise on the horizon caught his eye, and he made out the distinct shape of a mountain. Well, at least there was hope for shelter, even if it was undoubtedly over twenty-five miles away. That meant he wouldn't have to rely on the shuttle for shelter from the sun. The best plan of action would be to make for the mountains immediately.

And, of course, that would undoubtedly be Selok's plan, as well. The only consideration now was whether to start for the mountains at that moment while the Vulcan was still in his tinfoil-shred of a shuttle, or whether to give the limpet a chance to follow with him in case anything else happened.

This was truly a regrettable situation.

Stalking up to the shuttle, he gave the side of the craft a resounding kick with the toe of his boot. "Vulcan!" he snapped at the wall. "Come out!"

"I am not inside." A voice from behind him said, and he spun around to see the Vulcan packing several items into a dark green pack.

Just like a Vulcan.

Turning around, he kicked aside another few pieces of metal as he made his way back to his own shuttle. He reached onto the side and pulled off the small communication PADD, stuffing it into one of the packs before picking both up and slinging them over his shoulder. He turned back to Selok, narrowing his eyes again as he though he were going to say something. He didn't, though, and turned away again a second later, beginning to walk resolutely across the sand toward the mountains in the distance.

Selok looked up as the Romulan started stalking off. He raised his eyebrows almost as if it were a shake of the head and picked up his pack, putting it securely and comfortably over his shoulder. If there was one thing he could say about his unwilling companion, it was that he held true to the stereotypes of his race. It was logical to assume that he would be, but logic also demanded an openness for a deviation from the stereotype.

Either way, his attitude reminded him of a Klingon.

Glancing once more at his shuttle and subconsciously running through a list in his mind, he started following in the tracks of the Romulan ahead of him. He would follow him until another option formulated or a communication with a ship had been reached. Until then, it was only logical they stay within a relatively close range of the other. Communication between them was not currently a requirement, and to be perfectly honest, he preferred it that way.

The first length of their trip lasted about an hour. Neither slowed in their pace even slightly, despite the heat and the aches that still remained as a result of their less-than-gentle landing.

Things changed, however, when a loud, piercing caw from above caught them both off guard.

The Romulan stopped immediately, looking automatically toward the sky. Selok followed suit instantaneously - and what they saw above them was a foreign sight to Selok. A large, airborne creature...not unlike some of the earthen depictions of a prehistoric pterodactyl. Apparently, however, his Romulan companion was very familiar with it.

"Le'jha!" he shouted, a split second before sprinting toward the cover of a large rock several yards away. He all but dove behind it, looking out from around it only to shout in Selok's direction. "Move, you fool!!"

It was almost too late. Selok automatically wrenched himself backward, just in time to avoid a sudden, rapid dive from the creature above. It let loose another sharp screech as it dove at him, missing the Vulcan's torso by little more than half an inch. The resounding snap of its long jaws was like a crack through the air before the beast swept back up into the air, circling around for another try.

Selok, having just regained his balance, had not even righted himself when he suddenly felt himself seized by the arm and shoulder, and bodily yanked forward until he had no choice to but stumble down onto his knees behind the rock that the Romulan had dove behind just a second before.

"You are an idiot!" The Romulan hissed at him, peering around the rock swiftly afterward to look at where the creature was now in the sky. "Don't you know a Le'jha when you see one?! It could have torn you in half before you'd even known it was coming for you!"

"I am not familiar with their kind," Selok replied, out of breath and slightly disoriented. He squinted into the sky, looking around for the creature before turning back to the Romulan. "How do you know them?"

The Romulan gave a low rumble in his throat, somewhat akin to a growl. He glanced toward the mountains and then back the creature in the sky, which was now circling the area actively in search of the little things that had escaped its clutches. "They're rampant on Eva III," he said darkly. "I didn't know they'd managed to migrate this far. They must have nested in the mountains, though how they've ever managed to find nourishment here, I don't know. This one seems to be in fine health, the damn beast."

The creature gave another almighty caw, sounding almost irate now that it realized it could no longer spot its prey. Its circles began to become shorter, as though it were on the verge of giving up.

"They have good eyesight, but the heat waves and sun reflections make it harder for them to spot movement." The Romulan kept his eyes on the sky, glaring at the beast. "Fortunately for us. Normally even a spot like this wouldn't be enough cover."

The Le'jha screeched one last time. Then, with one last swoop over the general area, it finally turned, flapping its mighty, leathery wings and propelling itself back in the direction of the mountains.

"He's going. For now." The Romulan sat back, watching the sky until the creature was only a speck in the sky, and then turned back to Selok. "But he'll be back. We'll have to be sure we're within reasonable range of some sort of cover from now on. And you'd better learn to sprint like a jack-rabbit if you don't want to pay a family visit to that thing's nest." He rose to his feet, jerking up his packs again and slinging them over his shoulder, before starting to walk across the sand. "Keep up."

Selok looked around for his pack, spotting it where he had fallen after the creature had attacked him. He squinted up into the sky again and jogged over to it - lifting it onto his shoulder. He gave the sky one last glance, and then turned to follow the Romulan.

"It would be easier to communicate if I knew your name." He said as he fell into step with the Romulan. He glanced over at him as he shifted his pack. "If not a name, something I may call you by."

The Romulan grunted. There was a moment of silence, as though he were trying to think of some way to get out of it. But a moment later, he gave in. "Rash'al," he grumbled, keeping his eyes on the mountains ahead of them. "Now you know what to scream when you see that damned bird again."

"Now that I am aware of such a creature I do not believe it will be necessary." Selok replied, keeping his eyes ahead. "They are hardly a silent predator."

"It's not about the noises they make. It's about how fast they are." Rash'al said sharply. "You might think you've got all the time in the world, and then suddenly you're missing an arm. I've seen it happen." He glanced over at the Vulcan, frowning again. "You've never even set foot on one of the Evas?"

"I have not found the need." Selok replied.

Rash'al grunted again. "Of course not. The area is hardly peaceful enough for you," he said flatly. "It is a wonder you delegate with other species at all. Your most recent correspondences with the Andorians have led to nothing but trouble."

"I was not aware our communications was any business of the Romulans." Selok replied coolly.

"It becomes our business when the Andorians decide to stir up trouble near our side of the sector because they're tired of putting up with you," Rash'al responded with equal coolness. "And I believe you neglected to mention why exactly you came to this side of the Neutral Zone in the first place."

"As I recall, you did as well." Selok replied.

"Well I was the one who took care to ask the question now, wasn't I?" Rash'al said, peering over at him disdainfully. "Are you deliberately avoiding the subject?"

"I am attempting to subtly communicate that my ship's business is not yours." Selok said, looking over at him. "It is logical to assume from previous experience that my answering a question does not warrant a return response from you."

Rash'al rolled his eyes, looking away again. "Of course. I deeply regret my decision to ask such a question of you. After all, you Vulcans would be nothing without your secrets."