The Cenote
A Space: 1999 story
Written by Nemesoak
Written by Nemesoak
Author's note: In an effort to get away from doing "journalist" stories for a while and also to try to incorporate more non-Americans into these tales, I present my belated tribute to the millennium - a story based on that old schlocky science fiction series from about 20 years back. Remember, when you read the story, visualize the women as they were then - not as they are now, as time has been about as kind to them as those four L.A. cops were to Rodney King. The story might seem contrived and a piece of schlock, but then, so was the show. Hope you enjoy this little change of pace.
The Eagle transport craft left Moonbase Alpha, heading for the planet named "Oceanus" by the Alphans. While this planet could support human life, it lacked sufficient land area to be considered for Operation Exodus. Still, since the planet had ocean on 97% of its surface, Oceanus was an interesting scientific subject, so a study team consisting of Dr. Helena Russell, Sandra Benes, and their Psychon science officer Maya was sent to the planet. They would land on one of the larger islands and then Alan Carter would take the Eagle and collect monitoring equipment left behind on some of the other islands.
Based on the information collected so far, the daytime temperatures at the landing site would be about 85-90degrees F., so the women decided to wear their base duty uniforms which consisted of the standard uniform top, matching slit skirt, and boots rather than the pantsuits normally worn on such missions. Glancing at the the planet on a view screen, Sandra wished she had brought a swimsuit. But her swimsuit, as well as everyone else's was left back on Earth, which was who knows how many light years away after all this time.
After a surprisingly uneventful trip, the Eagle safely landed on the island (another surprise given the tendency of those vehicles to crash). The three women removed their gear and left the ship, which soon took off to finish the mission. After the women set up their campsite, Helena's comlock chirped.
"Have a little bad news, I'm afraid" said Alan Carter in his Australian accent. "There seems to be a slight problem with one of the engines. Nothing serious, but I will have to head straight back to base and get it checked out. I guess I won't be by to pick you up until the day after tomorrow. Hope you can hold out."
"No problem," replied Helena, "We've got the camp set up and it doesn't look like there's anything to give us trouble here. See you then." The comlock then went silent.
This change in schedule did not affect the basic plan, so our heroines fanned out to search the island for anything of interest. Sandra soon wandered to a rocky clearing. As she was admiring the view of the ocean in the distance, she felt a vibration in the ground. Sandra stepped back, but it was too late. The ground she was standing on collapsed and Sandra fell into a deep sinkhole. As she fell, she expected to be smashed to pieces on the rocky floor of the pit. However, instead of rock, she hit deep water.
As soon as her downwards motion stopped, Sandra swam to the surface and examined her surroundings. It turned out she was in what geologists call a "cenote", a water-filled sinkhole. After seeing that climbing up the sides to get out was impossible, she reached for her comlock which was still on her equipment belt. However, as she lifted it, she saw it was dead. The comlocks were never designed for aquatic use and this one was shorted out. So, Sandra used her alternate method of sending a distress message, one she was very skilled at - screaming at the top of her lungs.
After screaming for a few minutes, Sandra decided to stop and give her throat a rest. As she was bobbing around, she thought about het current predicament. Aside from the shorted-out comlock and the impossibility of climbing out, it wasn't too bad. The water was at just the right temperature. She also realized that she had almost forgotten how great it felt to be totally immersed. After all, water was in very short supply on Alpha since Breakaway and everyone was limited to a five-minute shower every other day. Sandra was also relieved that her swimming skills, while rusty, were more than adequate to keep her from drowning. However, she had never gone swimming in her clothes before. Much to her surprise, the motion of her clothes and of the water inside felt very good.
Looking around, Sandra saw that the cavern reminded her a little of the inside of a small cathedral. This setting only added to the strange feelings Sandra had at this point.
Meanwhile, back on the surface, Helena was searching for Sandra who had failed to check in. Eventually, she came upon the rocky clearing and spied the hole. Figuring that Sandra fell down the hole and got into the usual trouble she gets into, Helena ran over to investigate. However, the ground at the edge of the whole was unstable and it gave way, sending her into the water below.
Swimming to the surface, Helena saw Sandra who then told her about what happened earlier. "Great," Helena muttered, "I guess my comlock is ruined too. Looks like we are stuck here for the time being." Just like Sandra previously, Helena also rediscovered how good being in the water felt. To conserve energy, she suggested that they simply try to float. However, their clothing and equipment threw off their normal buoyancy somewhat, so they resorted to "drownproofing" - a variant of the dead man's float where they would just take occasional breaths. All the while, they were hoping that Maya would find them and figure out a way to get them out. Maya's intellect and shapeshifting skill made her well known on the base as a problem solver.
Meanwhile, Maya had been searching the island for her friends. Soon, she too discovered the rocky clearing. However, she also saw the sinkhole and recognized it for what it was. All those geology videotapes she watched on her off-duty time were finally paying off. Maya then carefully approached the edge and then shouted. Sandra and Helena heard her and yelled "We're down here! Fortunately, the water in this sinkhole is deep enough that we didn't hit anything when we fell in. We're all right, but we can't seem to find a way out."
Maya replied "Wait. I'll see what I can do". Removing her equipment belt, she quickly changed (via that cheesy pre-morphing special effect shot) into a mallard and flew into the hole. The duck quickly landed in the water and quacked loudly. Sensing what Maya wanted done, Helena let the duck perch on her raised arm. Maya then promptly changed into a grey parrot, since grey parrots could speak and Maya wanted to tell them something. "Seawater. Leads to sea" the parrot sqawked. "Change to fish... look for way out..."
With that Maya changed yet again into a fish and dove beneath the surface. After a long wait, the fish soon returned and Helena picked up the fish so Maya could change back to the parrot. "Found way out." the bird squawked. "Long swim... a few air pockets... some tight spots... will change to fish... follow me". Maya then changed into a different kind of fish with a large bio-luminescent stripe running down each side and dove down to wait by the cave opening.
Helena said "Looks like that's the only way out." Seeing Sandra preparing to remove her uniform, she continued "I think we better leave our clothes on. They might offer some protection from sharp rocks down there. But the equipment belts can go. They're just dead weight." The women unfastened their equipment belts which sank straight to the bottom. Taking a very deep breath, Sandra and Helena dove down, met Maya, and entered the cavern.
As they entered the cavern, darkness quickly enveloped our trio. However, the bioluminescent stripes on that fish Maya changed into went into action and glowed brightly in the clear water. All Helena and Sandra had to do was to follow and try not to bump into each other as they swam underwater. Just before their lungs started to hurt, they reached the first air pocket and surfaced.
As they were catching their breath and preparing for the next leg of the trip, Sandra said "You might think it's weird, but swimming in the dark in our clothes feels naughty, in a fun way."
"I know." Helena responded. "Makes you realize how much we left behind since Breakaway. Not only any semblance of a normal life, but little unexpected pleasures that made things fun every now and then. Enough with dwelling on the past. We have to move on before we use up this air pocket." With that, they both took a deep breath, dove down, and resumed their swim.
This part of the trip took them through a narrow, rocky passage. While the fish wasn't too big and had no trouble navigating through, Sandra and Helena found it a bit of a squeeze and banged up against the rocks every now and then. Those scrapes and bumps made them grateful they still had their uniforms on. If they didn't, they would have had a number of bruises and abrasions by now.
After surfacing in a few small air pockets along the way, the Alphans came upon the final air pocket before the exit to the sea. This chamber was somewhat lit from the the ocean just beyond. In the dim light, Sandra and Helena took a look around. The hole leading to the ocean was deep down, but within swimming reach. They also checked themselves out. Despite the rough trip, no one was injured. However, the same could not be said for their outfits. The boots were badly scuffed. Their slit skirts sported a few tears and the slit now went almost to hip level on Helena's and just short of the waistband on Sandra's. The tops were also ripped in several places. "That could have been our skin..." Sandra thought.
Due to the narrowness of the hole, it was decided to go through one at a time. Maya (as the fish) went through first and waited on the other side. Then it was Sandra's turn. She took a very deep breath and dove down for the hole. Going through the hole, Sandra snagged and tore her top some more. Her skirt snagged on a rock and trapped Sandra.
The fish, seeing what was happening, swung into action. It bit into the material of the skirt, cutting the garment off of Sandra, who then swam free. Just before heading to the surface, she shoved the rock a bit to give Helena a little more room and to prevent her from getting stuck since she wasn't as small as Sandra.
Considering Sandra's experience with the hole, Helena stripped off her torn Alphan uniform leaving her in her standard issue beige bra and panty set. The ensemble resembled a bikini and, to her surprise, was still opaque. Helena then swam through the hole without incident and swam to the surface to join Sandra.
"Glad you could make it!" Sandra said. "I see you are dressed for the occasion."
"This?" Helena replied, "Oh, I saw how you got snagged down there and I figured the less I had on, the better. By the way, where's Maya?"
Glancing down, they could see the fish Maya had changed into heading to the surface. But something was wrong. It seemed exhausted. Maintaining non-humanoid forms is hard work for shapeshifting Psychons and it finally got to Maya. Just shy of the surface, Maya couldn't maintain the fish shape any longer and instantly reverted to her normal form. While she was a brilliant scientist and knew many things her fellow Alphans did not, she knew nothing about swimming and started to sink towards the bottom, struggling ineffectively. Sandra and Helena dove down and grabbed Maya. In the descent and subsequent rescue, Maya's hair came undone and streamed all over the place. Nobody on base ever saw her without her hair done up, so seeing how long it actually was came as a bit of a surprise.
Bringing Maya to the surface, they quickly gave her pointers on how to swim and such. A good thing too. It turned out that the coast in front of them was nothing but sheer cliffs. The nearest suitable beach was almost a mile away.
Helena said "I think we can do a whole better without the boots." With that, the Alphans ducked under, unzipped the boots, and kicked them off, letting them sink to the depths. Sandra also removed her thoroughly tattered uniform top, leaving her in an opaque beige bra and panty set identical to Helena's. The trio then started to swim towards the beach. Maya proved to be a quick study and soon was swimming as well as her friends.
Maya found the swim to be surprisingly pleasant, especially with the way the her clothes moved around her. However, by the half-way point, that same apparel was literally becoming a drag, so she figured "When in Rome..." and stripped down to her undergarments too.
Eventually they made it to the beach and came ashore, looking just like typical women coming out of the water after a swim on an Earthly beach. After a rest, Maya recovered her equipment belt and the trio returned to camp. The next day, they decided to hit the beach and have some fun (and brush up on their swimming skills). In a happy accident, the Alphans came across a deposit of the mineral of the week (some strange element that was somehow vital to base operations) on their way to the beach, so that made up for the loss of their gear and also kept the trip from being a total waste of time.
The next day, Alan Carter returned on schedule. When he saw Helena, Sandra, and Maya, he was quite surprised and had some strange feelings he hadn't had since before Breakaway. Soon, everything was packed and the Alphans returned to base.
On the trip back to base, the women thought about their experiences. Some sort of swimming pool on base would not only boost morale, but allow practice of an essential skill that might come in handy on some habitable world. But that needed a lot of water. However, Maya proposed a solution. The next time the base approached a comet cloud on the edge of a star system, they could see about capturing and bringing back small comet nuclei. Such objects are mostly water ice, and the other compounds mixed in could be used for a variety of purposes on base. All that new water would have to be stored somewhere. Perhaps an underground chamber could be dug and lined with plastic. Not only could that serve as a reservoir, but with a suitable design, it could be used as a pool as well. All they need would be Commander Koenig's approval, but Helena was sure she could secure that, once she told him about her adventure.
Based on the information collected so far, the daytime temperatures at the landing site would be about 85-90degrees F., so the women decided to wear their base duty uniforms which consisted of the standard uniform top, matching slit skirt, and boots rather than the pantsuits normally worn on such missions. Glancing at the the planet on a view screen, Sandra wished she had brought a swimsuit. But her swimsuit, as well as everyone else's was left back on Earth, which was who knows how many light years away after all this time.
After a surprisingly uneventful trip, the Eagle safely landed on the island (another surprise given the tendency of those vehicles to crash). The three women removed their gear and left the ship, which soon took off to finish the mission. After the women set up their campsite, Helena's comlock chirped.
"Have a little bad news, I'm afraid" said Alan Carter in his Australian accent. "There seems to be a slight problem with one of the engines. Nothing serious, but I will have to head straight back to base and get it checked out. I guess I won't be by to pick you up until the day after tomorrow. Hope you can hold out."
"No problem," replied Helena, "We've got the camp set up and it doesn't look like there's anything to give us trouble here. See you then." The comlock then went silent.
This change in schedule did not affect the basic plan, so our heroines fanned out to search the island for anything of interest. Sandra soon wandered to a rocky clearing. As she was admiring the view of the ocean in the distance, she felt a vibration in the ground. Sandra stepped back, but it was too late. The ground she was standing on collapsed and Sandra fell into a deep sinkhole. As she fell, she expected to be smashed to pieces on the rocky floor of the pit. However, instead of rock, she hit deep water.
As soon as her downwards motion stopped, Sandra swam to the surface and examined her surroundings. It turned out she was in what geologists call a "cenote", a water-filled sinkhole. After seeing that climbing up the sides to get out was impossible, she reached for her comlock which was still on her equipment belt. However, as she lifted it, she saw it was dead. The comlocks were never designed for aquatic use and this one was shorted out. So, Sandra used her alternate method of sending a distress message, one she was very skilled at - screaming at the top of her lungs.
After screaming for a few minutes, Sandra decided to stop and give her throat a rest. As she was bobbing around, she thought about het current predicament. Aside from the shorted-out comlock and the impossibility of climbing out, it wasn't too bad. The water was at just the right temperature. She also realized that she had almost forgotten how great it felt to be totally immersed. After all, water was in very short supply on Alpha since Breakaway and everyone was limited to a five-minute shower every other day. Sandra was also relieved that her swimming skills, while rusty, were more than adequate to keep her from drowning. However, she had never gone swimming in her clothes before. Much to her surprise, the motion of her clothes and of the water inside felt very good.
Looking around, Sandra saw that the cavern reminded her a little of the inside of a small cathedral. This setting only added to the strange feelings Sandra had at this point.
Meanwhile, back on the surface, Helena was searching for Sandra who had failed to check in. Eventually, she came upon the rocky clearing and spied the hole. Figuring that Sandra fell down the hole and got into the usual trouble she gets into, Helena ran over to investigate. However, the ground at the edge of the whole was unstable and it gave way, sending her into the water below.
Swimming to the surface, Helena saw Sandra who then told her about what happened earlier. "Great," Helena muttered, "I guess my comlock is ruined too. Looks like we are stuck here for the time being." Just like Sandra previously, Helena also rediscovered how good being in the water felt. To conserve energy, she suggested that they simply try to float. However, their clothing and equipment threw off their normal buoyancy somewhat, so they resorted to "drownproofing" - a variant of the dead man's float where they would just take occasional breaths. All the while, they were hoping that Maya would find them and figure out a way to get them out. Maya's intellect and shapeshifting skill made her well known on the base as a problem solver.
Meanwhile, Maya had been searching the island for her friends. Soon, she too discovered the rocky clearing. However, she also saw the sinkhole and recognized it for what it was. All those geology videotapes she watched on her off-duty time were finally paying off. Maya then carefully approached the edge and then shouted. Sandra and Helena heard her and yelled "We're down here! Fortunately, the water in this sinkhole is deep enough that we didn't hit anything when we fell in. We're all right, but we can't seem to find a way out."
Maya replied "Wait. I'll see what I can do". Removing her equipment belt, she quickly changed (via that cheesy pre-morphing special effect shot) into a mallard and flew into the hole. The duck quickly landed in the water and quacked loudly. Sensing what Maya wanted done, Helena let the duck perch on her raised arm. Maya then promptly changed into a grey parrot, since grey parrots could speak and Maya wanted to tell them something. "Seawater. Leads to sea" the parrot sqawked. "Change to fish... look for way out..."
With that Maya changed yet again into a fish and dove beneath the surface. After a long wait, the fish soon returned and Helena picked up the fish so Maya could change back to the parrot. "Found way out." the bird squawked. "Long swim... a few air pockets... some tight spots... will change to fish... follow me". Maya then changed into a different kind of fish with a large bio-luminescent stripe running down each side and dove down to wait by the cave opening.
Helena said "Looks like that's the only way out." Seeing Sandra preparing to remove her uniform, she continued "I think we better leave our clothes on. They might offer some protection from sharp rocks down there. But the equipment belts can go. They're just dead weight." The women unfastened their equipment belts which sank straight to the bottom. Taking a very deep breath, Sandra and Helena dove down, met Maya, and entered the cavern.
As they entered the cavern, darkness quickly enveloped our trio. However, the bioluminescent stripes on that fish Maya changed into went into action and glowed brightly in the clear water. All Helena and Sandra had to do was to follow and try not to bump into each other as they swam underwater. Just before their lungs started to hurt, they reached the first air pocket and surfaced.
As they were catching their breath and preparing for the next leg of the trip, Sandra said "You might think it's weird, but swimming in the dark in our clothes feels naughty, in a fun way."
"I know." Helena responded. "Makes you realize how much we left behind since Breakaway. Not only any semblance of a normal life, but little unexpected pleasures that made things fun every now and then. Enough with dwelling on the past. We have to move on before we use up this air pocket." With that, they both took a deep breath, dove down, and resumed their swim.
This part of the trip took them through a narrow, rocky passage. While the fish wasn't too big and had no trouble navigating through, Sandra and Helena found it a bit of a squeeze and banged up against the rocks every now and then. Those scrapes and bumps made them grateful they still had their uniforms on. If they didn't, they would have had a number of bruises and abrasions by now.
After surfacing in a few small air pockets along the way, the Alphans came upon the final air pocket before the exit to the sea. This chamber was somewhat lit from the the ocean just beyond. In the dim light, Sandra and Helena took a look around. The hole leading to the ocean was deep down, but within swimming reach. They also checked themselves out. Despite the rough trip, no one was injured. However, the same could not be said for their outfits. The boots were badly scuffed. Their slit skirts sported a few tears and the slit now went almost to hip level on Helena's and just short of the waistband on Sandra's. The tops were also ripped in several places. "That could have been our skin..." Sandra thought.
Due to the narrowness of the hole, it was decided to go through one at a time. Maya (as the fish) went through first and waited on the other side. Then it was Sandra's turn. She took a very deep breath and dove down for the hole. Going through the hole, Sandra snagged and tore her top some more. Her skirt snagged on a rock and trapped Sandra.
The fish, seeing what was happening, swung into action. It bit into the material of the skirt, cutting the garment off of Sandra, who then swam free. Just before heading to the surface, she shoved the rock a bit to give Helena a little more room and to prevent her from getting stuck since she wasn't as small as Sandra.
Considering Sandra's experience with the hole, Helena stripped off her torn Alphan uniform leaving her in her standard issue beige bra and panty set. The ensemble resembled a bikini and, to her surprise, was still opaque. Helena then swam through the hole without incident and swam to the surface to join Sandra.
"Glad you could make it!" Sandra said. "I see you are dressed for the occasion."
"This?" Helena replied, "Oh, I saw how you got snagged down there and I figured the less I had on, the better. By the way, where's Maya?"
Glancing down, they could see the fish Maya had changed into heading to the surface. But something was wrong. It seemed exhausted. Maintaining non-humanoid forms is hard work for shapeshifting Psychons and it finally got to Maya. Just shy of the surface, Maya couldn't maintain the fish shape any longer and instantly reverted to her normal form. While she was a brilliant scientist and knew many things her fellow Alphans did not, she knew nothing about swimming and started to sink towards the bottom, struggling ineffectively. Sandra and Helena dove down and grabbed Maya. In the descent and subsequent rescue, Maya's hair came undone and streamed all over the place. Nobody on base ever saw her without her hair done up, so seeing how long it actually was came as a bit of a surprise.
Bringing Maya to the surface, they quickly gave her pointers on how to swim and such. A good thing too. It turned out that the coast in front of them was nothing but sheer cliffs. The nearest suitable beach was almost a mile away.
Helena said "I think we can do a whole better without the boots." With that, the Alphans ducked under, unzipped the boots, and kicked them off, letting them sink to the depths. Sandra also removed her thoroughly tattered uniform top, leaving her in an opaque beige bra and panty set identical to Helena's. The trio then started to swim towards the beach. Maya proved to be a quick study and soon was swimming as well as her friends.
Maya found the swim to be surprisingly pleasant, especially with the way the her clothes moved around her. However, by the half-way point, that same apparel was literally becoming a drag, so she figured "When in Rome..." and stripped down to her undergarments too.
Eventually they made it to the beach and came ashore, looking just like typical women coming out of the water after a swim on an Earthly beach. After a rest, Maya recovered her equipment belt and the trio returned to camp. The next day, they decided to hit the beach and have some fun (and brush up on their swimming skills). In a happy accident, the Alphans came across a deposit of the mineral of the week (some strange element that was somehow vital to base operations) on their way to the beach, so that made up for the loss of their gear and also kept the trip from being a total waste of time.
The next day, Alan Carter returned on schedule. When he saw Helena, Sandra, and Maya, he was quite surprised and had some strange feelings he hadn't had since before Breakaway. Soon, everything was packed and the Alphans returned to base.
On the trip back to base, the women thought about their experiences. Some sort of swimming pool on base would not only boost morale, but allow practice of an essential skill that might come in handy on some habitable world. But that needed a lot of water. However, Maya proposed a solution. The next time the base approached a comet cloud on the edge of a star system, they could see about capturing and bringing back small comet nuclei. Such objects are mostly water ice, and the other compounds mixed in could be used for a variety of purposes on base. All that new water would have to be stored somewhere. Perhaps an underground chamber could be dug and lined with plastic. Not only could that serve as a reservoir, but with a suitable design, it could be used as a pool as well. All they need would be Commander Koenig's approval, but Helena was sure she could secure that, once she told him about her adventure.