Salomano-Reistang Cave. That was a vague Terran approximation of a name that had letters which looked like scribbles to most human linguists. Named for the famed Catullan Archeologist Salomano who first mapped it and his awkward translation of the word the locals used for ‘glittering minerals’, its stunning crystalline deposits were absolutely scintillating when they were hit with light – natural sunlight or otherwise.

There was a very lovely two-hour walking tour guided by animated hosts, who would walk tourists around the ground and gardens before taking them into the cave to witness the light display. Very attractive. But not very adventurous.

For the more adventurous sorts, you could sign up to go spelunking in the cave’s natural formations. It took one off the beaten path and opened up a realm of amazingly alien crystalline formations, clear pools of water and unusual fossils preserved in the cave walls. Of course you had to sign a waiver and there was no guide, only a map, but when did that ever stop an intrepid Starfleet officer?

Ishreth Dal came prepared with his own suit and equipment. It wasn’t his first cave dive, though it had been a very long time since he had done one of these for fun. He was looking forward to exploring a part of Caseperia Prime that few, if any, were able to see.  He curled his antennae forward to greet his spelunking partner for this adventure. “Good morning. Looking forward to spelunking with you.”

“Good morning!” returned Sanjiv, grinning broadly at his caving partner, the only other person in a lodge full of Starfleet officers to sign up for spelunking. Certainly it wasn’t everyone’s idea of recreation, but it was very nearly a terrible disappointment nonetheless.

He took a step and slid almost gracefully down the short incline in front of the cave’s lesser-used entrance, bringing himself to a sharp stop in front of the Andorian. “You’re Ishreth Dal?” he asked as the sound of tumbling pebbles subsided. He tugged sharply at the glove on his right hand, one final adjustment before he offered a handshake. “I’m Sanjiv Anand, and I’m very happy to meet you!”

Was Ishreth taken aback? It was hard to tell as he kept his facial expression pleasantly neutral throughout the conversation. His antennae moved expressively – that was until he fitted his helmet on. Then they still moved expressively – he might lose his balance completely if he couldn’t move them correctly, but the expressiveness was dampened by the loss of the visual.

Still, he accepted the hand and shook it warmly. “I am. It is pleasurable to meet you Captain Anand.” His soft tones were precise and polite and formal.

“Ha!” Sanjiv’s laugh was automatic, high and light. Several days into shore leave, and the ‘Captain’ title following him around still felt absurd outside the corridors of his tiny ship. Still, he wasn’t about to quibble with his very new acquaintance’s social script, so he mentally breezed past it while keeping his tone as light as his laugh. “I hope the knowing is as pleasurable as the meeting.”

“Have you been spelunking before?” Ishreth queried evenly, trying to get a gauge of his partner’s knowledge of the equipment.

“Many times,” answered Sanjiv, kneeling in front of his pack to perform a final inventory. He’d checked it several times already, but he figured this was a polite and indirect way of letting his partner know that he wouldn’t be endangering them through lack of preparedness.

“My sister and I learned the finer points of caving in Bharat Scouts as children, and now it’s become the yearly family outing of choice.  She and her husband and her wife and her other husband–two of them are Denuboulans–” He glanced up at Ishreth as it briefly occurred to him that groups of four spouses were common to Andorians as well. “–and sometimes the kids as well, we spend several days exploring. We’ve offered a number of alternative activities, but I’m told Denobulans are particularly fond of tight spaces.”

“I will take your word for it,” Ishreth offered with a pleasant politeness, not having worked with many Denobulans previously. Though now he was starting to understand why he had been paired with Sanjiv.

Sanjiv finished his inventory, zipped his bag, and donned his helmet as he stood, giving it a final pat for good measure. “Now.” He turned to Ishreth and waved a small canister of reflective beacons at him. “Would you like to take point, or would you like to mark the trail?”

“Have you been through this cave before?” the Andorian asked, ready to give point to Sanjiv if he was more knowledgeable.

Sanjiv shook his head. “I haven’t been on this planet before.”

“I will take point,” Ishreth offered. “I have double-checked the connection to the surface-watch and the digital map.” Actually, Ishreth had triple-checked everything, but his more common reason for caving was to rescue people lost in caves. Doing this for fun was a rare treat. On the flip side, getting stuck in a cave and requiring a rescue would be devastative for his reputation as a search and rescue specialist.

“Well, you sound like my kind of caver!” said Sanjiv, gesturing forward for the Andorian to take the lead.

The first part of the cave was easy-going: no water, no need for ropes, no squeezes so tight they had to hold their breath. Even so, he could tell by the way Ishreth moved through the cavern that the other man knew what he was doing. They came to the first fork in the path, and Sanjiv left a marker. It was round, bright, and reflective, made to be useful even if its higher technological functions cut out.

“So, how’s the caving on Andoria?” he asked, unable to resist the urge to make conversation while he still had the breath to do so.

Both antennae flexed forward, partially obscured by the helmet. “Cold and icy,” he said, and it was hard to tell if he was trying to be humorous or not. “Ice caves are extensive and awe inspiring.”

“I would imagine so,” said Sanjiv. “Never been in one myself. Maybe I can convince the family to travel to Andoria for our next excursion.”

Ishreth paused for a moment, as they both came to a large open area. Embedded in the uneven walls were an overabundance of crystalline formations. As the lamps hit the crystals, the entire area filled with refracted rainbows of light. As one moved, the lamp the light shifted like a silent disco.

“I admit this is also awe-inspiring.” Ishreth offered, taking it all in.

Sanjiv was at a rare loss for words. He just spun in a slow circle, watching the way the light danced off the rock faces and spilled into the shadows. When he was done, he pulled out his back-up light source and aimed the beam at a large protrusion of crystal, laughing softly in delight as it split into multiple colorful streaks.

Slowly they moved forward, enjoying each new shift in the colorful view.

“Where did you start caving?” the Andorian inquired.

Sanjiv turned his attention away from the light show to consider Ishreth for a moment, but the other man was still moving calmly ahead, his eyes on the path. The conversational tone surprised him. “Siju Dobakkol,” he said, and the name felt almost like an incantation for the way it evoked such early and happy memories. “It’s not a very challenging cave–just one of many in the area that our scouting group would visit every other year–but for a six-year-old, it’s like a whole other world. Of course, the taller I got, the more challenging it got!”

He quieted for a few moments as they reached a slope, not quite steep enough to require rope but slippery enough to require full attention. Sanjiv heard a splash when Ishreth reached the bottom, and was immediately grateful for all the protective layers he wore when he found himself following the Andorian into waist-deep water.

Soon, he noticed flashes of light there, too, but not from any crystal. Just under the surface of the water were translucent creatures with shimmering nerves down their arrow-like spines, each darting through the water as if shot by a bow. “Oh, we have company!” Sanjiv noted with delight.

Continued in Part Two.