Caves

While studying a fast-growing moss, the four friends are trapped by a cave-in with their communicators blocked. To pass the time they share stories of earlier cave disasters. Boimler was once stranded on Kyron IV with Lt Levy, a conspiracy theorist whose wild ideas turned out to be partly true when shape-shifting Vendorians appeared. Rutherford was trapped with Dr T'Ana, survived an unexpected pregnancy and learned that the creature hunting them could be reasoned with. Mariner was caught in an ageing field on Glish with the rival Delta Shift and had to cooperate with them to escape. As the stories pile up, the friends start to argue, worried that promotions and new friends are pulling them apart. The sentient moss asks to hear Tendi's story, and she recalls the four of them stuck together in a turbolift, the moment their friendship began, reassuring them that their bond will last.