Possible Hunting grounds

Posted on 01 Aug 2026 @ 4:30pm by 1st Lieutenant S'earr & Major S'arila Donovan

1,517 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: S04 Episode 02 The Hackers Backdoor (Incidentals)
Location: USS Tomcat Various
Timeline: Current

[ON]

S'arila decided that she wanted to meet the new RCO. She had read up on him and was impressed, but a Predator species being cooped up on a starship would eventually make him stir-crazy; the holodeck would only ease that issue, so now here she was entering the empty RCO's office in the dark. She was not wearing her special glasses, so she saw things in muted whites and greys and a bit of red where the computer terminal was. She walked over, moved to a darker corner and waited.

It was a while, in the corner, standing still, when the door opened; if she remembered rightly, S'earr would smell her scent and his predator survival instinct would make him very alert.

"Greetings, Lieutenant S'earr. I figured it was time we met," she said from the dark corner, her red eyes studying his thermals. His body thermals brightened a little when he sensed someone was in here.

S'earr walked into his office; dark as it was, it phased him none; the scent, however, was a giveaway that not all was as he left it. Someone was in his office, hiding in the dark. It wasn't long before his own eyes adjusted now that he was alert. "It is disrespectful to hide in the dark when seeking an introduction." A low growl rolled from his throat, displeased by this development.

"My apologies, Lieutenant. Computer lights gradual illumination," she said as the office lights slowly came up; they brightened fast enough so that S'arila's eyes had time to adjust.

"I see in infrared, Lieutenant, so without special glasses, you are seeing varying degrees of colours, going from bright red to yellow", she said, allowing the Caitian to see her unaltered eye before she had her glasses on.

"I know you sensed someone in here, and I knew you would detect my scent, all things common with a Feline species. I am Major S'arila D'Tana Donovan. I am the Bravo Unit Commander. It is a pleasure to finally meet the new RCO," she said, standing to her full height of 7 feet. She did not offer her hand as she knew Caitian was bonded by scent if they touched another.

Seeing the female now that the lights were on, he afforded her the customary bow afforded to all females. "Is there something I can do for you, Major?" He righted himself, her height noticed, considering his own, found him frequently looking down at most he spoke to during the course of his duties. He didn't move from where he was; her scent already lingered in the room, a nd and proximity would only make it worse.

Seeing his discomfort, "I will be as brief as possible. The RCO office is not as well ventilated as the CRR, so I imagine my alien scent is stronger than a human's. Yes, I am half alien; not many humans are my height, so I imagine I have a stronger scent than most," S'arila said.

S'earr listened to the Major explain herself. It was easy to suspect as much given her obvious features. Far be it from him to judge, however, given that he was alien to most of the crew on board. "Indeed." S'earr is being his usual self, brief and to the point.

*Nods* "I know you are the RCO, so you have my permission to use my first name at the correct times. I may be a Major, but I am not the RCO *smiles* now onto my reason for being here, one was to introduce myself, the other was to maybe mitigate the Caitian need to hunt live prey," she said. "Not sure if you still do it, but just in case you know," she added.

S'earr listened to her speak. "Some castes do hunt live prey to exemplify physical prowess. Mine does not. We believe that skill is trained and honed over time, but practice can only do so much. Combat is the test of it; we live or die by the skill we cultivate. I have many holodeck programs from the Proctor of my training academy that are adaptive, to keep the threat diverse and the challenge unique."

"Oh, I know of a system out in this area that has a Class M forested planet with plenty of fauna, most of them massive predators. The planet has slightly more gravity than Cait, so it will be a muscle challenge. We did not do a deep dive into other planet features, as we had to go to another Class M Planet in the same system. *pause* The system is the Cravallan System. I do not know if you would want to go hunting for food there, but it is ideal for honing one's senses," Donovan said.

"I will take it under consideration, Major," S'earr replied. While the offer was unique, it came with risks; risks harboured consequences, and those, so far from the Homeworld could be fatal. He had witnessed many injuries suffered by other male Caitians during the trials to claim a mate, where a simple fall or trip could break bones. Fractures could puncture organs, sever arteries and result in death.

"My kind." He paused briefly. "Has over generations taken strides to be more than we appear as a civilisation. While we are natural predators, true, that is not the sum." He walked to the other side of the room. "Males of my caste are trained to fight, to kill, from a young age. As we get older,r the challenges we face grow in turn; expectations are placed upon us to be exemplars of our training. I can not hide what I am, so I do not; people assume what I can do, but that doesn't require I prove myself to them." S'earr paused again.

"During my younger years aboard the Renown, my team and I were assigned to secure a village that was confirmed to be shipping biological weapons to neighbouring systems for use against civilian population centres. Unknown to us at the time due to a communications silence, the Renown was destroyed and my team hunted." S'earr gave pause. "Patrols were sent out, searching the hills. During the night I hunted them without phaser or uniform, using what I am to send a message. Over 3 weeks I killed 19, but I didn't kill all immediately. Many suffered for a while as they clung to life from the injuries I had inflicted upon them, holding entrails in, clutching detached limbs, calling for help in the cold hours of the night. For some, help never came. They believed the local wildlife was responsible, not a team of Starfleet marines."

S'earr paused again. "My point, Major, is that I do not hunt for sport; I kill when I have to. I take no pride in it. I'm aware of the risks I pose to this crew, the dangers but also the preconceptions. I am what I appear to be; they need not know what else. I regret to this day the suffering I inflicted upon those men, while I had reason, but also because I became what so many see me to be...a savage predator."

*Looks aghast* "I just thought I would mention it; even if you do not hunt like that anymore, a walk in a jungle environment where there is only nature might help with relaxation, as regardless if you are an Apex species or not is is well documented that a walk through natural flora and trees on a planet with sky and air is vastly more relaxing than a holodeck" she said learning more about the Caitian species.

"I will leave you in peace now, Lieutenant. I know a female scent is distracting in ways, especially in a stuffy office. The Cravallan system is in the ship's database if you wish to study it," S'arila intoned.

"Major," S'earr said in parting; he bowed to the female, as if the meeting had concluded. He'd wait until she had departed, then leave himself while the air cleared in his office.

She paused in the doorway and looked back "Also, the planet has real gravity and air; perhaps on shore leave you could take your mate there. By last reading, there is a pristine lake with a beautiful backdrop *smiles* Hey, it is better than artificial gravity and recycled air, and I am guessing Caitians like to at least spend some time in natural gravity and open skies," she added,

"Should I prove worthy of one, indeed." S'earr answered, one of few words but words that spoke more than the sum of the amount spoken.

With a nod, S'arila left the office, wondering if the Lieutenant would take up the suggestion about taking his mate to the planet on shore leave, but it was up to him; she had other things to do.

[OFF]



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