On the Hunt - Part III
Posted on Tue Oct 14, 2025 @ 6:26am by Lieutenant Commander Curtis Thibideaux & Lieutenant Bronwyn P’ril & Lieutenant JG Anson Lee & Lieutenant JG Jali Andloch & Senior Chief Petty Officer Alexander Rylan & Civilian Geral Lasuma
Edited on on Sun Oct 19, 2025 @ 6:43am
1,640 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Chicken Run
Location: Deep Space 5
Timeline: MD01
Lasuma and his chef Jeffers stood by amongst the tables of the café as the stations personnel tried rounding the various animal scurrying around the station. Jeffers crossed his arms thinking aloud, "You know I could use some of those to make some fantastic dishes."
"Way ahead of you. I sent word out that we'd take any of the animals off their hands. If any of them just had happened to not survived being stunned....those settings can get adjusted so easily."
Jeffers chuckled, "So we just sit here and wait?"
"That's right. I also offered a nice discount for those that brought anything in."
As they spoke a member of the station's security came up carrying a large black feather bird and placed it on the table near Lasuma.
Holding out a padd the Petty Officer placed is thumb on the padd and head off.
Jeffers picked up the turkey and as he turned to take it back to the kitchen Lasuma grinned.
After the meeting in the Commodore's office, Curtis made his way down to the promenade, intending to make his way toward the docking area adjacent to help where he could with crowd control or even just be seen as doing something. As he wound his way through some of the busiest places on the station, he heard yells of alarm and the thunder of feet on the carpeted deck.
Many feet?
People were moving away behind him or crowding up against the bulkheads as a wave of oval shaped creatures came thundering down the path. Blinking, his brain took a second to register that they were...pigs. Swine. Food animal producing pork, as he recalled. These were youngish one and he couldn't think of the term as the mass of maybe thirty or forty of the red spotted creatures galloped around him. He was jostled slightly and engulfed by the joyous squeals that vocalized and Curtis worked to keep his balance as sharp little...hooves? Feet? stepped on his. Curtis kept his balance as the pigs swept past him and into the promenade, some of them swerving to nuzzle and knock over tables at a nearby cafe while others found a small patch of ornamental trees and flowers and took a taste.
Tapping his comm badge still bemused, Curtis took in a helpful update from his HUD as he reported, "Security. Ops. This is Commander Thibideaux. We have a drift of forty three apparent weaner pigs in my location. We're going to need a containment pen of some kind around here I think."
"Sending people out sir." came the answer, "we've got a place set up."
Anson scratched the cat under its chin as it purred over its plate of fish. "You are susceptible to bribery, Mr. Kitty. That is an awful trait in a security officer, so I think we can safely say you do not belong in the Security offices." He considered. "Ms. Kitty? How do you tell on a cat?"
His mother had never been the type to allow pets. A bit of a shame, really. Now that it was no longer freaking out, trapped atop the equipment rack, it was actually rather sweet. It butted its head up against Anson's hand when he stopped scratching. "You're a lot less trouble than some of the other animals, even with the scratching. That's why I get to deal with you. Privilege of the position. I wonder if they'll let me keep you."
By the time the call came through, most of the Alpacas that had wandered onto the promenade. There were still two to be rounded up and contained. Meanwhile, the captured ones were getting nervous. “Do you suppose I should try to soothe them?” she asked SCPO Rylan. “I would not want them to panic and harm themselves.
"Um," Alex said. "I don't suppose you have a hypospray and several ampoules of magnesium hidden somewhere in that lovely outfit? Hang on." Alex tapped his combadge, which he had pinned to his shirt. "Oladele, Rylan," he said.
"Rylan, Oladele," came the voice of Chief Hospital Corpsman Babatunde Oladele. "I'm kind of in the middle of something here, Lex. What do you need, my friend."
"A hypospray, make that two, in case one breaks," Alex said. "And a case of concentrated magnesium ampoules, stat. I need to calm down some alpaca."
"If I wasn't dealing with an ornery herd of sheep, I would think that strange," Baba replied. "Standby." A few minutes passed. "Okay. Transporter room is going to site to site it to you. Good luck."
"You, too, Baba," Alex said. "And thanks."
A moment later, the requested supplies materialized on the floor next to Alex. He bent down and picked them up. He pocketed one hypospray and loaded the other. Then he handed the case with the rest of the ampoules in it to P'ril. "Come on," he said. "Follow me."
P’ril followed Alex to the temporary enclosure they’d made out of security containment fields. She wished she’d learned the art of mind melding, but she had never really seen a point to it. “I am unsure whether I should attempt to pet them or if that would do more harm than good,” she commented.
"Okay," he said. "This should work... I hope. Computer, Medical Emergency Override, authorization Rylan, Alex, Delta-Omega-1641. Permit entry of myself and Lieutenant Bronwyn P'ril through the containment field currently in front of me. Open the field just enough for us to pass through, as we pass through, then close it behind us. Acknowledge command."
"Working," the Computer said. "Command acknowledged. Field has been made safe for you to enter."
Alex grinned. "Okay," he said. "Come on, Lieutenant. Let's do some veterinary medicine. Speak to them softly and calmly and reassure them. Ready?" Alex took P'ril's hand and they stepped through the containment field. "Okay, folks, everyone stay nice and calm. Doctor Alex, who isn't a doctor but we can discuss that later, is going to help you feel much more comfortable."
Alex started petting the nearest alpaca, found the right spot, and gave them an injection of magnesium. "There you go," he said. "Who's next? Of course, ma'am. I was thinking the same thing." Alex gave another injection and moved to another alpaca. "Magnesium has a calming effect with the benefit of not actually being a sedative. Works as a sleep aid for humans, too."
If it were possible for a Vulcan to show nervousness, P’ril was certain she would look it now. “See?” she told the Alpaca Alex had just injected. “You feel better already, right?” She gingerly reached out to rub its neck. “They are much softer than I had imagined,” she commented. “Shall I distract them while you inject?
"Sure," Alex said. "That would be a big help, especially with the macho. That's what a male alpaca is called. You take the lead."
Macho. That made P’ril grin. “We should get him next,” she decided. “Since he is right here, it would be easier. Hello, sweet boy,” she said to the Macho, using a similar tone to the one she used with her cat. “You are looking very beautiful today. May I pet you?” she asked, reaching out her hand to the animal.
The macho hesitantly moved his head towards P'ril, then nuzzled his face into her palm. Alex pet the macho as well for a moment, talking softly, then injected him. Alex then heard Lieutenant Andloch's announcement. He frowned and tapped his own combadge.
"Lieutenant Andloch, Senior Chief Rylan," he said. "Lieutenant P'ril and I are on the Promenade. We've just corralled... eight? Yeah. We've just corralled six Terran alpaca in a security containment field. If you want to get them safely to Cargo Bay 51, we're going to need a better solution than herding them there. Unless maybe you can clear the Promenade of lookie-loos. Can you issue a shelter in place order?"
"That has been set in place already, the Commodore sent that out. We do have other security coming your way, and also Marines." nodding towards the small group coming up to them.
"Hey," Alex said to the Marine Sergeant, who he fortunately outranked by three grades, so he didn't have to deal with who's in charge here nonsense. Technically, P'ril was in charge, but this still made things easier so he wouldn't have to run everything through her... he hoped. "Senior Chief Rylan, good to see you Sergeant. Gimme a second to finish dosing these ladies."
The sergeant seemed to be willing to take Alex's word that she was outranked and did as he was asked.
"There we go," Alex said as he injected the last one. "I gave them all a good-sized dose of magnesium. Should ease their anxiety. If you keep them together, they'll feel more comfortable. Oh, and the male is intact, as in, has all of his parts and the attitude that goes along with them. So, try not to make him feel like you're encroaching on his territory."
The sergeant chuckled. "Copy that, Senior," she said. "Okay! Let's move these animals out!"
Alex turned to P'ril. "Well," he said. "Do we follow them? Do we finish dinner? Your call!"
“We should follow, in case any of them strays,” she replied. “Plus, I sort of like them. They are cute.”
"They're not bad," Alex said. "Better than ostriches! Those bastards are terrifying up close! Now, about this second date..."
(To be continued...)
Geral Lasuma
Lasuma Enterprises
Jeffers
Lasuma's Chef
Commander Curtis Thibideaux
Head of Strategic Operations
Deep Space 5
Lieutenant JG Anson Lee
Assistant CHief Security Officer
Deep Space 5
Lieutenant Bronwyn P'ril
Chief Engineer
Deep Space 5
SCPO Alexander Rylan
Independent Duty Corpsman
Deep Space 5
Chief Babatunde Oladele
Independent Duty Corpsman
Lieutenant Jali Andloch
Security Investigations Officer
Marine Sergeant
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