Good Day Sunshine

Posted on 10 Dec 2023 @ 4:32pm by Ensign Orion Belmont & Petty Officer 2nd Class Alizabeth Omari

2,035 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Miranda
Location: Transporter Room 2

After the rush of digging in to help and try to track down this merchant, the application of the medication and then getting a shower… finally a blessed shower… the realization set in that they were going camping. She had never been camping, unless you counted one overnight climbing trip where she stayed in a cot on the side of a mountain, of course that was in a holodeck not actually out in the wild, would this planet feel wild? After the latest trials Aliza really wanted to do something that sparked her adrenaline, the dive deep into the merchant the Captain had okayed her to do was stimulating but it was not like she was out with Walker chasing him down physically.

Digging through things in her room she threw her different workout gear into a bag, then climbing gear, just in case, she could have added others but she knew she had a job that was more important than just surviving planetside, she would be tucked away with her PADD a lot over the foreseeable future. Reaching for her communicator, “Petty Officer Omari to Ensign Belmont, did you survive? I am only way to transporter room 2. Do you want to go set up some tents together? Maybe make a bonfire?”

"I mean I don't mind burning things, seems like a good idea all things considered. Nice and warm and cosy for planetside blues. And sure, can pitch a tent," Orion responded back, a slight pause before he had managed to do so as he had been, packing his own supplies, "oh and yeah, I survived. I guess that's the more important point to some. Got off easy I think many might say. Glad to hear you made it. I'll meet you at the transporter, just throwing a few things together. I'll be the Ensign that is the strange one" he grinned to himself, picking up an old coin from his desk and flipping it absently with his thumb before catching it in his palm.

He was cramming everything he could into the pack he had arrived on the Odin with. It was either liberating or depressing when he took stock of the fact that pretty much everything he owned could fit inside it. Necessities had all been packed, along with a very survival and bushcraft items he took everywhere with him since he had picked up a few things out of necessity years gone by. His climbing gear and smaller mechanical projects went in, just to stave off any boredom. It didn't take long before the quarters he had been assigned were largely empty. He found himself wishing he hadn't abandoned his guitar with his parents way back when, it would've been a fun thing to spend the evenings playing with. He sighed as he shouldered his pack and made his way towards the transporter room, there to wait for Petty Officer Omari - not that he knew her to know if she was already there. He opted to loiter against a wall, passing the time by rolling the old coin he had pocketed across his knuckles, nodding at other crew members who passed by and started their journey down to the planet.

With a stop or two on the way because Aliza had a few ideas she wanted to try and make come to fruition, she arranged a couple crates of items to be sent down for her, then she made the rest of her way to the transporter room to meet with Ensign Belmont. Looking around she saw him resting against the wall, he looked like he did in his file, unsurprisingly, but it was not just the pictures, he looked like the basic level info that was there. Stepping up near him. “Belmont? I am Alizabeth. Nice to actually meet you.I am afraid I have bad news, tents are not part of Starfleet’s standard issue stores, we will have to help set up pre-fabricated shelters. Hopefully bonfires will be part of camping still though.”

"Pleasure's all mine Alizabeth," he said, stopping the coin rolling and pocketing it instead, "call me Jester - everyone else does. Easier on the tongue than Belmont. Prefabs are fine, crude but effective. Not as cosy though, Starfleet is missing on something there. As for the fires, I'm sure we can arrange something. How are you faring? You were quite laid low last we spoke and I never heard from you after. I had hoped you had pulled through" he asked as he stepped them both into the queue for the transporters.

“Jester then, no fancy schmancy name for me, Aliza works well and I can remember it is me.” She let him roll through the rest as a smile that hinted at her sense of humour drew up the corners of her lips. “I am doing better, not at what I might have considered my peak, but each step up from the miasma of living on sick bay floor feels like being truly well again is right over the next rise.” She set her pack over the shoulder opposite where he stood so she would not smack him with it when she shifted to hold the strength she worked to keep as her outward posture. “Sorry our first meeting was not in the gym?” The tall dark skinned woman’s uniform showed her build well, muscle and curve all displayed along with the straight posture of confidence she gave to the outer world.

"Miasmas are bad, and Aliza it is then," he responded, looking her over at her suggestion of the gym, "I'm sure you can find a way to make it up to me. Beside, I'd not want to show you up on how much can be lifted on our first meeting, you'd never want to see me again. However, if we're going planetside then I've got some climbing gear if the conditions are right, could always get sweaty that way. Though by the sounds of it we'll also get a unique workout putting these shelters together. Did you hear the Captain's message or were you out of it a bit?" he asked, curious to see just how bad she had been and how lucky he had been.

Aliza rolled her right shoulder and then her left, small stretches were almost constant with her at the moment, reminding her muscles of their need to wake once more. “I heard. Immediately appropriated a PADD and pulled up some notes on the merchant’s travel once he left the ship. The Federation tracking of people in their space is good, but others take note of traders and as m family are pretty locked into that community I was able to pick up a little more gossip from his passing.” Smiling at him and letting go of that thread she was still untangling, “I am looking forward to doing about anything other than laying on a mat in sickbay, packed my running clothes and climbing gear with hopes I would find time planetside. I have never been very good at laying still, I even started a daily stretching time for those of us that felt up to it in sick bay.”

"Admirable, helping the less fortunate in small ways. I can't say as I did the same. Collapsed during shift and then had my own...hallucinations," he said with a frown off to the side, "still, at least I didn't see any little Klingons. Laying still is rather boring. I'd have gone mad had I not had a few things to tinker with whilst confined to quarters for recovery. Gossip you say? What gossip?" he asked, clearly intrigued as they came ever closer to the platform, their turn coming after the next batch.

“I had varied hallucinations, you should have called if you were so bored though.” She said with a wicked grin. “I come from a family of merchants so I have access to internal message systems that take note of traders passing through areas. More than once I would locate shipments my mother was waiting on, figured if they passed through other spaces I should be able to pick up a hint or two. Hope to track where he was before he came on board and backtrack his steps as well.” Alizabeth shrugged slightly, “Not many people can pass completely unknown in space, somebody remembers something, I just have to find those that remember.”

"I'll be sure to bother you next time," he snorted in amusement, "so you're a merchant, helmsman, climber, camper...and now a hunter too. Anything you don't do? And I don't know, space if vast, if someone wanted to stay hidden they could. But given what the Captain said...I'd not be surprised if they didn't bother. Assuming any of us had survived we'd have put it all together eventually. Granted I'm glad it happened sooner than later. First score of days on the ship and we're under attack already. I like this ship, you know? It's exciting" he grinned, his usual response to anything even remotely serious or stressful.

Aliza shook her head slightly, “Not a camper, well until after this time on the planet, nor can I fly the ship, I have basics in case of emergency. I am more a note taker, schedule keeper and a pay attention to the details person, yeoman is more making sure the Captain has information he needs and that he eats, drinks and sleeps.” That grin did not seem to fade though, “Merchant is a family trait, the rest of the things I like generally have to do with adrenaline. A lifetime of helping my mother, or escaping the shop to run to avoid my siblings, and then slip into the public holodecks to explore more exciting things to addict me to climbing, surfing or so many other things. I am pretty excited for this first camping trip though.”

"I can feel it from here," he said, cocking his head to the side and assessing her again with a grin, he liked her, she didn't mince words and had an energy that was almost infectious, "and adrenaline I can get behind. I know more about sleeping outdoors than I do about running shops. And Captain's never were associated with me in a positive way" he chuckled, though there was a slight edge of resigned sorrow to it that hadn't existed before he had come aboard the Odin he noted. "Looks like we're next. What's say we get down and see what mischief we can get up to...after sorting these shelters out of course" he raised an eyebrow at the man operating the transporter, his voice and manner overly curt but looking exhausted.

He pulled a snack bar item he had replicated before setting out from another pocket and tossed it to him without saying anything but nodding slightly at the quizzical look - the man likely needed it more than Orion did - before stepping aboard the platform next to Aliza.

The yeoman listened to him but did not respond as they stepped up in line a warm smile to the man operating the transporter, "Ensign Arkson, right? Thank you for doing this, you might be saving us all." The man nodded and looked a little surprised through the clear tiredness.

Orion noted the name for future but said nothing, he had never liked the idea of transporters in general, let alone using them. He knew the tech was safe but something about unravelling himself and being in the hands of another never quite sat right with him. It was an irrational thing but he had never really thought he was overly rational, instead more as a creature of instinct.

"You're up," he said and nodded towards the transporter, but the surprise swapped to a bit of professional pride and he straightened. "Just get going, you are holding up the line."

Her eyes met Jester's with a huge amount of respect as he gave the man his food. "I do have a bit of surprise for the evening, I might even invite you." That wicked humor was cut off as the transporter fired to life and they faded out.

 

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