An Evening on the Rocks

Posted on Sun Apr 24th, 2011 @ 7:54am by Vice Admiral Iluvar & Lieutenant Commander Joseph Thompson & Commander Michael Evans M.D. & Lieutenant JG Malia Jacy & Lieutenant JG Kell Gibson & Ensign Bok & Ensign Matthew Lessly

Mission: Episode 2.1 - "Unanswered Questions"
Location: Holodeck One, USS Pandora
Timeline: Shoreleave 08, 1828

ON: [[Holodeck One, USS Pandora, Shoreleave Day 08, 1828]]

A warm, crackling fire flickered back and forth in the circular fireplace, giving a sense of atmosphere to the large dining room which offered a panoramic view of the expansive Pacific Ocean. The sun had just started to settle below the horizon as the waves continued to crash against the rocks.

Finding a seat that offered a view of the sinking sun‘s rays painting deep hues across the sky, Malia pulled her legs up beneath her and smiled. The view was not entirely unlike the sunsets she’d experienced in New Mexico and it did her heart good to wade through the memories. Mali had always felt that space explorers were the luckiest of sentient beings; having been given the gift to view the universe from so many angles. Her mind could not comprehend a time where peoples on any planet were grounded, and she was glad that her lifetime was one of possibilities.

Ensign Bok entered and was immediately hit with the olfactory scents that abounded. The ocean air was incredible as was the smell of the clams baking which were emanating from the fire. He remembered another Earth custom called a marshmallow roast. He searched the area for usable sticks for everyone to use.

"Don't be getting ahead of yourself, Mister Bok," Yuris (PNPC) said with a smile as he noticed the engineer's attempts to locate roasting sticks, "there will be plenty of time for that later. In the meantime, could I interest either of you in something to drink?" He motioned to the small bar with one hand as he spoke, indicating that there were many options to choose from.

Malia smiled softly at Yuris, who's voice had broken through her inner musings and pulled her back into the holodeck. "I'd very much enjoy a cup of Cota tea, if that's possible?" Growing up, her mother had often made it directly from the small plants that her relatives would send two or three times a year. It had been reserved as a special celebratory drink for Mali's family and as such she'd never tried to replicate it, knowing it wouldn't be the same. Now was as good a time as any to see what the holodeck could do for it though.

"I've heard the proper drink for a campfire is hot choclate," Bok responded.

"Also a good choice," Malia chuckled.

The holodeck doors slid open to reveal Matt, who was dressed in his casual clothes and was already carrying a drink. He wasn't entirely sure what to expect from the 'party' he had been invited to, but he had hoped that it wasn't one in which he was supposed to wear his uniform. Entering through the doors, which soon closed and disappeared behind him, Matt saw that a few people had already arrived and were mingling.

A gentle breeze came up from the sea and, even without knowing what program was running, Matt knew they were on the edge of the Pacific. There was something special about the smell of Earth's largest ocean, perhaps it was just what it symbolized for Matt, but he could always tell when he was near it... or a holodeck recreation of it, at least.

"Good evening, Mister Lessly," Yuris said, offering a small smile to the young science officer who had just entered the room. He gently lifted the two steaming mugs he had just prepared from the counter and carefully made his way over to deliver them to his guests.

"Thank you," Malia gratefully accepted the mug as she nodded a greeting to Matthew. "It smells delightful."

Bok was convinced that chocolate was the greatest invention ever for humankind.

Malia motioned out the windows to the ocean spray as it climed the rocks. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked Bok lightly.

"Yes, lovely," the Chief Engineer agreed. "The dustball colony that I grew up on definitely had nothing like this."

"That must be quite a change," Malia sipped her tea. "Do you ever miss it?"

"Home is home," Bok acknowledged. "But being out here is so much more. My first time off-planet was when I came to the Academy. Just the city of San Francisco offers more beauty than my world. And on one summer break I was taken to Tellar and wondered why my people wanted to leave that place for the colony I grew up on. I still have my friends and family at home, but my heart has been transported to the engine room."

"It's odd how that can happen, isn't it?" Malia questioned. "Earthbound humans used to have such trite little sayings like 'home is where the heart is' and 'absences makes the heart grow fonder' ... but I've been places planet side that even a holodeck hasn't been able to do justice to; and in some of those places that I'd never been before, I felt like I was home the minute I arrived and in a few cases, I found I really didn't miss the ship that much at all."

"Home is where the heart is," Bok mused. "Humans can be so poetic and sentimental at times. Its certainly not the ship itself. After all the ship is only a mechanism. Its what the ship offers to me, a chance to figure out its secrets. And what is life except a series of challenges? In short, I'm needed here on a way that my home colony just can't compete with."

A moment later, both Aris (PNPC) and Peter (PNPC) entered the dining room from outside, the former being completely soaked and looking quite miserable about it. Aris paused near the fire to bask in the warmth of the flickering flames as he shivered slightly. He had just started to rotate a bit when he noticed Iluvar standing in the doorway with an odd expression on his face. The young Ba'ku opened his mouth to explain, but his teeth chattered such that he simply closed it again and looked down at the floor where the water dripping from his clothes had already started to form a small puddle.

"Got a little too close to the waves, did we," Iluvar observed with a slightly bemused look on his face, "Go get yourself changed. You don't want to spend the rest of the evening in cold, wet clothes." He watched as Aris and Peter both filed past him, disappearing from the room, before turning to the others who were already there. "Best view in the Pacific Northwest," he said, motioning to the large windows with one hand, "but better viewed from inside rather than out, as we've just seen."

Matt, after saying hello to the two officers who had gotten there before him, had decided to go out onto the small veranda overlooking the ocean while he awaited the rest of the senior staff to arrive. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore and the ocean scent brought back a lot of memories for him, both good and bad.

In the room behind him, Matt heard a familiar voice, or at least a voice more familiar than the rest, and turned to see who it was. When he realized it was the captain, he quickly came back into the main area and walked up to where the other officers were grouped.

"Good evening, Mister Lessly," Iluvar said with a warm smile as he noticed the young science officer re-entering the room from the outdoor veranda. He reached out to accept the glass Yuris was offering to him and took a quick sip before asking, "What did you think of the view?"

Matt gave a small smile and looked back towards the window. "It was very nice, Captain. Reminded me of home. Is there any particular reason you chose this program, Sir?"

"This particular venue offered a refreshing change of scenery, if you ask me," Iluvar replied, "though I cannot take all of the credit for its selection...Mister Eldar certainly had quite the hand in working out a few of the details."

Matt nodded. "Well, the two of you did a great job of picking it out, Sir."

"So when do we get to try the marshmallows?" Ensign Bok asked.

The Holodeck doors opened and Kell appeared. Dressed in a light T-shirt with a pair of cargo shorts, he made his way over to the bar. He really didnt know what was going on, but any excuse to visit the holodeck, especially in a program as beautiful as this, was a good excuse. "Hey, can I get a Beer, not synthohol a beer, a good beer. Please."

"Of course, Mister Gibson," Yuris replied with a smile as he pulled out a fresh glass and began filling it. Synthehol had been pretty standard fare aboard most starships and stations in the Federation for quite some time, but there were always those like Gibson who were looking for a bit more authenticity in their beverage choice. Yuris saw no problem with serving the younger man actual alcohol, especially given that this was strictly an off-duty function, and offered the now filled glass to the man who had ordered it.

Dr. Evans entered closely behind Kell. He purposefully kept a slow stride, almost a mosey, as he strolled over to the fire. He really didn't mingle well, especially with new people. He felt comfortable with Iluvar though, and Malia though he didn't really know her that well yet. He made eye contact with them both and smiled, then warmed his hands at the fire for something to do.

Mali sent an easy half wave at the doc as their glances met and smiled. She was pleased to see the room filling, even if it was ever so slowly.

When Joe entered the room, he couldn't help his old reflex of taking everything in with a glance and beginning to catalogue it. Of course, the training that had created that reflex had also created it to be discreet, so Joe didn't make a big show about it. At any rate, most of it went on in his subconscious; he was off-duty, and there was no reason to treat this as an openly hostile environment.

As he didn't really know anyone well here, Joe meandered slowly through the room, taking in the scenery. While he didn't invite himself into a conversation with anyone, it was clear he wasn't too secluded in his own thoughts to talk to anyone that might want to talk to him.

After having felt the ease of the room for a bit, Dr. Evans finally turned to warm his backside. "This is nice," he said in Iluvar's general direction.

"I'm glad you approve, doctor," Iluvar said with a wry smile, pleased that those present seemed to be enjoying themselves pretty well so far.

"I must say it almost feels odd though, all of us together and it not being for a meeting or conference or because the ship is being boarded or about to explode or something," Michael said with a chuckle. "How has Aris been? I think it's been a while since I've bumped into him."

"Cold and wet, the last time I saw him," Iluvar replied, chuckling a little as he spoke, "which was only a few minutes ago, actually. You will have to ask him about it when he gets back." No sooner were the words out of his mouth then he noticed Peter and Aris appear in the frame of the doorway, the latter having had the opportunity to change into clothing that was not soaked with ice-cold saltwater.

Michael gave a wave to the two boys as they looked in his direction. "Well he looks warm and dry now," he said as they approached so that they could hear him. Then, addressing the boys directly, "So what happened; did you fall in?"

The young Ba'ku shook his head from side to side. "Peter and I were standing out on the boardwalk, watching the waves come in," he explained, trying to ignore the smile spreading across the hologram's face, "I thought we would have been high enough to just get a little bit of spray, but apparently I was wrong." He paused to shoot a look over at Peter before adding, "Someone's just lucky they happened to have been a bit further along than I was, or they probably would have ended up the same way."

Joe watched with interest as the doctor talked with the two boys. From what he gathered, one of them was the captain's adopted son, and the other a hologram. Joe had used holograms in the past, of course, mostly for training; he didn't often interact with self-aware programs, but he also didn't share the immediate dislike for them that many others did. Mostly, he was indifferent, but it was still interesting to see the interactions between the hologram and the other two; certainly, they all seemed friendly to each other.

"It seems everyone is ready for a little regroup time," Mali mentioned offhandedly to Bok as she watched more of the crew file in.

After waiting a few minutes to see if anyone else would be arriving and seeing no one, Iluvar lowered his steaming mug of cocoa so that he could address the assembled guests. "If I could have everyone's attention for just a moment, I promise that I will make this interruption as brief as possible," he began in a voice that carried across the entire room, "I would like to thank you all for taking the time to come down here this evening. We have all been through a lot in the past few months and I am pleased to see each of you being able to relax and enjoy yourselves. A big thank you to Mister Eldar for taking the time to help me arrange tonight's venue and for providing the refreshments."

Matt, sitting somewhat on the outskirts of the group, raised his glass so that Yuris could see and nodded appreciatively.

Iluvar waited until the applause had died down a little before he continued speaking. "Before we get back to enjoying each others' company, I would like to recognize Ensign Bok and Ensign Lessly in their recent appointments to head their respective departments," he said, raising his mug slightly in the direction of the two officers, "I look forward to working with each of you as we continue our service together. Now...please enjoy the rest of your evening."

Mali reached over and gave Bok a congratulatory pat on the arm. She was in part responsible for his promotion. They had made a good team on the last mission and she had some very good ideas.

Matt blushed slightly at being announced in front of the senior staff. He smiled weakly in Iluvar's direction and took a drink from his glass.

Bok smiled to everyone. "That's all fine and good captain, but I still haven't gotten any marshmallows."

OFF

A Joint Mission Post by:

Captain Iluvar
Commanding Officer
USS Pandora

Lieutenant Commander Michael Evans
Chief Medical Officer & Second Officer
USS Pandora

Lieutenant Commander Joseph Thompson
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Pandora

Lieutenant JG Malia Jacy
Chief Operations Officer
USS Pandora

Lieutenant JG Kell Gibson
Weapons Specialist
USS Pandora

Ensign Bok
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Pandora

Ensign Matt Lessly
Chief Science Officer
USS Pandora

Yuris Eldar (PNPC)
Orient Express Lounge Host
USS Pandora
Played by: Capt Iluvar

Aris Ibanya (PNPC)
Crew Family Member
USS Pandora
Played by: Capt Iluvar

and

Peter Pevensie (PNPC)
Holographic Mentor Program
USS Pandora
Played by: Capt Iluvar