New Friends, New Places

Posted on 11 Aug 2013 @ 8:05pm by Ensign Ariadne Fleming & Ensign Natalie Chevalier

3,143 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: Episode 04 - Exodus
Location: USS Galileo-Deck 2, Mess Hall
Timeline: MD-01 - 2000 Hours

[ON]

Well, that was quite a day, Ariadne remarked ironically to herself as she gingerly laid the last picture on the wall above her bed. There was not an excessive amount of decoration; just enough so that her room didn't feel like a prison. She hated things to be ugly, besides.

If we are going to use it everyday, why not make it pretty? she remembered arguing with her brother Corin, a slightly more utilitarian individual. She smiled at the memory. She missed them, more than she realized before leaving Earth.

She stepped back and admired her handiwork. It was lovely. Spare, perhaps, but lovely. her books were arranged neatly on the shelf; covering the standard issue sheets on her bed was the coverlet she quilted with her mother when she was a child; and above her bunk was a cluster of small paintings and photographs, entwined with dried flowers and vines from home, with the portrait of her family in the place of honor. She spent a minute gazing it at, let her mind wander on that thread.

Her mind was unaccountably assaulted by the memory of her mother's cooking. she could almost smell it. Oh, that's right she realized. I forgot about dinner. Taking one last look, straightening a stubborn picture one last time, she left her quarters in search of sustenance.

Now, where is the Mess hall... . These ships all looked the same to her. Still, it was embarrassing to keep getting lost like this. But, wait--down the corridor--was that someone she knew?

"Hello," she called, a bit timidly "Do you happen to know where the Mess Hall is?"

Nat had wandered back to the arboretum for a while, and then to take a peek at the makeshift gym Mr. Darius had told her about. She didn't like downtime, and there'd been too much of that lately: even half an hour digging up some roots that were dangerously encroaching on the bulkhead and another 45 minutes of her rather undisciplined approach to working out, she had energy to spare.

Stepping out of the sonic shower, she surveyed the scene. Her own quarters were still a stormy, turbulent mess, and it now didn't look like she was going to be getting any help from Kiwosk: she'd heard he'd left the ship: part of the recent exodus? Or maybe he just took offence to that crappy coffee she'd served him?

She changed into the cleanest uniform she had available - this one only had grass stains, at least - and realized she really needed to commit to this: she had to tidy up her quarters. No more delaying, no more excuses, no more putting off: knuckle down and commit, Nat.

Approximately 90 seconds later, she was heading out of the room, casually tossing her towel in the vague direction of where she - wrongly - thought the heated rail was. Eh, screw it.

Out in the corridors, she heard someone call out, and wheeled on the spot. Spying Ariadne, the rather timid oceanologist she'd come aboard with yesterday, she waved, and changed tack to walk down to her.

"Sure I do. In fact, I was going to go there now: wanna walk with me?" She gestured towards the turbolift at the end of the corridor. "It's up on Deck 2."

"Thank you," Ariadne smiled. She was relieved to find it was someone new like herself. Not only someone, but a someone she had met before. She laughed, a bit feebly. "I can't help getting turned around in these corridors. It's getting ridiculous really." She was suddenly stuck by the thought that she knew precious little about Nat. She knew nothing about anyone on this ship. She knew she was...an ecologist? Nat was certainly more comfortable in an alien situation than she was, at any rate. Certainly more comfortable around strangers. Was that a consoling thought, or did it only make Ariadne more nervous?

Well, a little conversation never hurts she mused. She turned to Nat, and with only a little hesitation began, "And, how are you adjusting to your new assignment?"

"Actually, I have to say I'm really enjoying it. I mean, it was a bit confusing coming aboard, meeting Lt. Panne, and being told she was leaving a few hours later and that now Lt. Cho was in charge...but pffft, minor details. I don't care who I'm reporting in to so long as they let me do my work."

As she replied, Nat led them down to the turbolift, stepping inside and ordering the computer, "Deck 2: Mess Hall." She could tell Ariadne was a little ill at ease, but she was choosing not to take it personally: perhaps she was simply still getting used to all the changeover. Not everyone was as adaptable as her.

"The arboretum is much better than the one on the Venture, and there's lots of ecological data from the survey mission to analyse," she continued excitedly. "What about you? How have things been?"

"Very well, actually." Ariadne answered. "I've never needed be around so many people before. And have to know them, as well." She was not usually this chatty. She wasn't particularly timid or anti-social; instead, she preferred to keep to herself, saving her long, meaty conversations for her siblings or her parents.

But she decided she liked it. She was often lonely at the Academy and on the Venture. It was nice to have a friend.

A friend she repeated to herself. Are we friends?

Searching for topic to continue the conversation, she said "The Galileo has an amazing compilation of marine data. I was quite...breath taken with the scope and, richness, of it all." She laughed, adding, almost to herself, "If I had access to data like this when I was young, I could have published my paper when I was thirteen."

Nat nodded, suitably impressed. "You were published? I had a paper published while I was at Regulus III, on the exchange program. I guess it might have been your sort of area - aquadomes and their effect on the coral networks of a Class O planet." She wasn't trying to show off, but rather was genuinely excited to get the opportunity to discuss it.

The turbolift doors opened on Deck 2, and she led them out and into the Mess Hall.

"For me," she continued, "I'm excited about all the seedlings they collected on their survey mission. There are some truly unique plants in this system: the arboretum could really take on a life of its own if I get the opportunity to replant it."

Ariadne was fascinated by what Nat had to say. She had always loved plants, particularly trees, but botany had always been Eamon's gift. Any plants that came her way usually died within a brief interval.

"It's lovely that you can pursue your passion aboard the ship," she said as she deliberated her choices for dinner. "When I am aboard a ship, I always long for the sea. Sometimes, I feel I can barely stand the constant darkness and unchanging environment."

Nat considered that as she ordered a soup and salad combo from the replicator. A spaceship was an inhospitable environment for someone who craved the soothing solace of the sea, but then again did rather lead to the question of why she'd signed up for deep space assignment in the first place. That seemed indelicate to broach this early in their friendship, though, so she tried a different tack.

"Well, we might get assigned to an away mission that'll give you a chance to get reacquainted with the ocean. I'm sure if there were anything like that, the resident oceanologist would be the first name on the roster," she said, hopefully. "And until then - I guess there's the holodeck?"

Ariadne shrugged. "I suppose. But," she continued as she ordered a lamb stew and peppermint tea from the replicator, "space is a lovely, wild place, despite the loneliness. What about you?" She turned to Nat. "Is there anything you miss from home?"

Nat thought on that as she made her way to the table and sat down. A twinge of sadness coloured her features. Home was a long way away now; the rift with her parents had never healed, and the development had gone ahead, destroying the woodlands she'd spent her childhood in. "I have a lot of happy memories," she said guardedly. "But I'm not sure I exactly miss anything: I'd rather go find something new."

She took a spoonful of soup and pulled a face. "Although having said that, I definitely miss the cooking. We ran a hotel, so there was always some new recipe on the menu, some new foreign variation. Starfleet food is so bland."

"I know," Ariadne agreed "they can never make lamb quite right." She took a sip of her tea, considering it thoughtfully. "Although tea is fairly idiot-proof." she decided.

"So, your parents ran a hotel? That must have been exciting, being around so many different and interesting people. I mean, my family was large," she continued, starting to unconsciously babble in her enthusiasm, " but I was never around as many people. What was it like?"

Nat sensed a certain sadness in Ariadne's words, but she didn't press, instead sharing her own experience. "It was fun, at rimes. Lots of different people. Every week there'd be some new alien species I'd meet. A lot of the people who came through were workers, and kept to themselves, but sometimes there'd be a family, some new colonists, or just visitors, and it was great getting to know them."

As she blew on her soup to cool it, she considered further. "But, when I was older, I started to have problems with some of it. My family supported an expansion that would have brought in new customers - at the expense of an ancient woodland. I was one of the opposition who lobbied against it." She stirred her spoon. "Needless to say, I'm not quite such a welcome visitor anymore." She smiled ruefully. "Do you stay in contact with your family back on Earth?"

"I do," Ariadne answered. "Though the same as being there, with them." Ariadne chewed thoughtfully on a bite of poorly seasoned lamb and carrots, thinking on her siblings. "I wish I could mentor poor Juliana the way Kenneth did me," she muttered, without realizing she was speaking aloud.

She abruptly shook off her melancholy daydreams. She turned to Nat again. "I'm sorry you had to have such an awful conflict with your family. Just like when my brother, Quinn...no, wait," she paused a moment to think "that was something--different...anyway, it's never easy to disagree with someone you love, especially when you're both convinced your position is absolutely right. But," she continued, slightly shifting the conversation "do you have any siblings, or anyone else who sympathized with you?"

Once more, Nat was moved to mild discomfort by Ariadne's obvious personal distress; once more, she bit her tongue to prevent an imprudent question slipping out. "I have three, two sisters and a brother; I'm the oldest," she replied, handling the straightforward part of the question with a smile, which then melted away as she took a sip of her soup and considered the second part.

"But - sympathised with? I'm not sure. Marie-Claire was just a baby when I left; sometimes I feel more like an aunt to her, really. Suzette ... Suzette was always maman's favourite. She didn't like all the arguments; she'd go hide in her room until they were over, and she tried to convince me to just drop it and move on. We were close - but, not really of one mind. And Oliver?" She shook her head. "Dreaming of the stars, that boy, all he cared about was the latest gadget, the latest bit of technology, certainly not a few old trees."

Weighting the follow-up as carefully as she stirred her soup, she asked: "And you? Siblings - you mentioned a brother?"

"I have four brothers, actually. And two sisters. My brothers are all older than I, and my sisters are younger. We were all so different, but I feel I could relate to them all pretty well, though in different ways. I was probably closer to my oldest brother, Kenneth. He loves to sail, and would always take me out to sea to help me with my research, and when we returned he was the most attentive listener. Quinn and Corin I quarrel with all the time. Not seriously, but they're both engineers. They think I'm too flighty. And Eamon," Ariadne twirled her fork around her mushy vegetables, pondering how to describe her more elusive brother. "he is more like my father, I think. He's in seminary right now. Very down to earth, but at the same time..." she rapped her fingers on the table, thinking. "Sometimes I think he's not of this earth." she muttered. "Anyway, my sisters are more artistic than I, though Juliana is interested in astronomy. Blanche is studying ballet, hoping to make it her career, while Juliana is at art school. I love them, but we're so different, we've never been that close. Not like Kenneth and I, at least..."

Ariadne trailed off, unsure of how to finish her thought, and feeling like she had talked too much.

Nat listened attentively, though the sudden stream of information was difficult to keep up with. She wasn't too sure what a semenary was, but it sounded like something to do with male fertility: perhaps an erectile dysfunction clinic? She steered well clear of the topic.

"I know how it is to be different, believe me. I think I was closer to the people I worked with in my environmental group than I was my siblings. And my roommate at the Academy was more like a sister than my sister, if that makes sense." Scraping the remains of the soup from her bowl, Nat continued: "What does Kenneth do now? Does he work with the sea?"

"He does. He doesn't study it, like I do, but he has a fishing boat. Though, honestly, he would do anything if it meant he could be out on the ocean all day." She took the last sip of her tea. "And he will be married soon. It's been seven years since he told me he would, but Mother said he finally proposed." Ordinarily, thinking of Kenneth's supposedly impending wedding made her happy, but, strangely, she was only saddened. It reminded her again of how distant she was from her family. She knew she would miss her favorite brother's wedding. She vividly remembered the macabre possibility that she'd never see them again.

Nat smiled encouragingly, although she was aware Ariadne didn't exactly seem flushed with enthusiasm. "Well, that's nice for him, I guess? I think it'll be a while - I hope it'll be a while - before any of mine get married off." She wondered whether she'd be invited to Suzette's wedding, when she inevitably did get married. They'd probably time it just right so she'd miss it and avoid any drama.

Ariadne nodded, swirling the remains of her stew with her spoon. "I just--" she struggled to form her words, trying not to sound grim. "--wish I could be there for him, I supposes." She sighed, happening to glance at the clock. It was late. Remembering the reports and appointments that needed sorting out before her shift, she knew it was time for her to return to her quarters.

Reluctantly, she gathered her dishes and stood up. "I suppose I should be going," she said to Nat. "Would you like to walk back with me?"

Nat stacked her bowl and plate and rose with her. "You're right: I should probably get a start on tidying my quarters," she admitted, while knowing full well that the moment she got inside she would find herself sitting on the nearest vaguely free chair reading.

"But we're headed the same way anyway, so sure." Stopping by the waste recycler she disposed of her dishes and grabbed a glass of water from the replicator, then joined Ariadne on the stroll back.

"Do you think you'll be able to get leave to attend your brother's wedding?" she asked. "Or is it going to be too far away?"

"Well," she reached into her mind, back to the conversation she had with her mother before leaving the Venture. "I believe it's in a few weeks, though I could be mistaken. She said he wanted me there, but I shipped out later than expected, and..." And what? There was nothing left to say about it. Best put it out of your head, Ariadne she reminded herself. No use moping over something you can't change"I don't mind, though. I've tried, he's tried, and there's nothing left for to do." Changing the subject, she turned again to Nat. "So, have you been given any good assignments yet, or is it just routine tasks so far?"

Nat considered this. Her tasks probably seemed boring to others - digging up plants in the arboretum - but to her, they were exactly what she would have wanted. "Lt. Panne assigned me to the arboretum, and Lt. Cho said I could stay there. I guess a lot of it's kind of routine, I suppose, but it's also exactly the kind of work I love. To be honest I'd rather be there than running some boring scan on the Bridge or something."

"Same here," Ariadne concurred. "I would much prefer being on the surface of a planet, studying oceans directly, rather than rifling through old reports." Ariadne wondered idly what it was like to be a gardener. Her mother always kept an herb and vegetable garden, but Ariadne never developed a green thumb. More of a brown thumb, Kenneth used to tease.

They'd arrived back in the junior officer quarters. "Well, I hope you're not waiting long. I can't wait to get off on an away mission: maybe this new assignment will give us some time in the field," said Nat hopefully. "And until then, I figure we can keep each other company!

"I hope so," said Ariadne. She looked at the time, and sighed. If she didn't go back to her room and start those reports now, she'd never finish them.

"I'd better be going. I suppose I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course. I'll see you around, Ariadne. Good night!"

[OFF]

Ensign Natalie Chevalier
Ecologist
USS Galileo

Ensign Ariadne Fleming
Oceanologist
USS Galileo

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