Just Good Fun or Foolish Risks, Part 2

Posted on 22 Dec 2014 @ 5:29am by Lieutenant JG Cyrin Xanth & Commander Andreus Kohl & Lieutenant Elijah Williams IV, M.Sc. & Lieutenant JG Grayson Jones & Petty Officer 3rd Class Ellsworth Hudson

3,167 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: Starbase 84, Airlock 23
Timeline: MD 20, 1320 Hours

Previously on Just Good Fun or Foolish Risks, Part 1

Elijah Williams hadn't really planned on doing this. He wasn't one to join groups of people on outings, he preferred to do things on his own or with people he really knew. But, there was a change in him, a change he couldn't exactly put a finger on. The mission to Lyshan had tested him, pushed him to his mental limit and he made it through. He could have lost his life and yet he came out of it, a better man. He had already tried a couple of different things since arriving at the starbase and now he decided to give ion surfing a try. He never even heard of the sport but in his mind he couldn't imagine it'd be any harder than actual surfing. The problem though, was that he was running late for the appointed time. He sprinted down the corridor at a steady pace and reached his destination in no time. He saw the assembled group and he felt better he knew all that were there. "I'm sorry I'm late," he said.

And now: the conclusion...


[ON]

"Elijah!" Ellsworth said, lighting up again as the geologist came sprinting down the corridor toward the airlock. He grinned, waved, and bounced from foot to foot in his gear until his newest and dearest friend was close enough for him to hug. "I thought I saw your name on the attendees but then I wasn't sure cuz you weren't here, yet. I'm excited! I've never done anything like this... I like regular surfing, like in the ocean, I used to do it all the time on Risa. Uh..." He looked over his shoulder at the others, realized he was rambling, then pulled at Elijah's elbow. "C'mon! You gotta get your suit an' stuff on."

"Hello Lieutenant," Cyrin greeted Elijah after triggering the suit's external speaker. He sounded excited. "Just in time! I'll give you the rundown on safety I've just given them while you get suited up. We should get started soon, the solar wind is forecasted to start climbing towards a peak within the next few minutes." He would offer to help Elijah with the equipment and go over the same rules as before. Keep your buddies in sight, don't lose your board, and stay loose.

Elijah smiled at Ellsworth but made sure he paid attention to Cyrin. He nodded as he started to unbutton the loose fitting, pale blue short sleeve button down and once open, shrugged it off his shoulders to pull it off. He placed it by Kohl's clothing and his hands went to his belt, undid that, unsnapped the button of the cargo pants he was wearing and slipped out of those along with the flip flops he had on his feet. He laid his pants where his shirt was and grabbed one of the form fitting suits. He started to pull the suit on and zip it up. "I understand," he said as he grabbed a helmet. "Keep everyone in sight and don't lose the board and stay loose," he repeated.

Cyrin once again kept his eyes to himself as Elijah changed. No one apparently had any modesty around here! The thought of having changed in front of all of them himself was enough to make his face red, though the others might be amused to see his blush through the clear front of his helmet. When he'd given the other enough time, he handed over a helmet and a board to Elijah and checked the man's equipment, made sure that the Lieutenant's air supply was secured correctly and that there were no holes in his garment. Everyone seemed to have done well on that part, and there were no problems here either.

Kohl didn't stop himself from watching Elijah change.

"Okay guys, let's get moving. For this first part, we're going to get into position a few hundred kilometres past the station's traffic radius." Cyrin wasn't about to take them on some really stupid ride amongst the ion wakes of passing ships, not when so many were new at this. "You'll each find a small thruster unit you can secure to your suit to get you there." Cyrin hit the control on the airlock and the door was still rolling open as he stepped inside, excited enough that he was nearly dancing on his feet like Ellsworth had been a moment ago. Once everyone was inside and ready, he hit the cycle button to vent the air and then expose them to the waiting vacuum outside.

Almost as soon as the venting cycle was complete, the lithe body of Ellsworth Hudson went rocketing past all of them out into the vacuum of space, followed by the sound of his excited breathing and surprised laughter over the comm system linking all of their suits. He'd just pushed the button once out of curiosity! A more responsible crew member would have never "tested" a thruster system in an enclosed airlock. A more responsible crew member would have been concerned about whacking someone in the back of the head with the ion surf board. But Ellsworth was in no small part still a thirteen year old boy at heart and "responsible" was not a word one would use to describe him.

A few kilometers outside of the airlock he came to a clumsy halt, clutching his board, and spun around in a slow rotation. "The thruster units work," he said, laughing.

Here we go, Elijah thought to himself as he gripped his board tight. His biggest concern was that he was going to throw up. He did in his Starfleet training, but this EVA stuff wasn't new like it had been when he first started his training. He had only decided to do this because... well, he experienced a profound change on Lyshan Three. He faced death, he faced something he had never experienced before and though terrifying, really put a lot in perspective. His past, still haunted him terribly but he realized he couldn't let it consume him. He had to move forward and live his life to the fullest. If that meant jumping out of an airlock, so be it. He just knew he couldn't be the shy, introverted, abused little boy anymore, he just knew he couldn't let his father have that power over him. Not any more.

As he watched Ellsworth whiz by him, Elijah started to laugh even though he wasn't sure appropriate that was to do so. One thing he admired about the quartermaster was that the man knew how to have fun and knew how to just be himself. Elijah knew he could learn a lot from Ellsworth Hudson, but then again Ellsworth Hudson could only be taken in small doses. "So, is this like an on three deal," he said into the comm they shared.

Cyrin shook his head as Ellsworth careened out of the airlock like that, and he even felt the urge to put on a command tone like they taught officers at the Academy and snap at the quartermaster. It had been a stupid risk, but Cyrin had difficulties using any kind of authority, even if was responsible for this lot.

"This is a we go together and follow the one with the tricorder," Cyrin's voice came through their helmets as he gently guided himself out into open space with one hand holding the thruster unit and slow enough to make sure the rest wouldn't have trouble keeping up as they rendezvoused with Ellsworth. In the other, he pulled free the tricorder and started scanning.

Taking careful steps to cross the airlock, Kohl hesitated at the aperture. He leaned his boots hard against the lip of the airlock and he gripped the edge hard. He held his board close with his other hand. Kohl looked out at the mind-boggling expanse of void and stars, and he stared at it, and he stared at it, until he felt like his eyes and his perception had adjusted to the scale of it. Without a word, Kohl heaved himself out of the airlock, and he rode nothing but his own inertia for a time. He held his body mostly still, paying attention to how his body felt in the new environment. He tested his joints, making small motions at first, and then broader swimming motions. As soon as Kohl feared he might be left behind, he touched his thruster controls lightly to catch up with the rest of them.

Making sure he was secured, Grayson strode to the airlock, switched on his thrusters and caught up with the group. He always thought space was a wonderful place to be in and was one of a rare breed of people who actually enjoyed space walks.

Once they had all gathered around each other in the vastness of space, Cyrin let himself start to enjoy this and it came through with his happy voice, "Okay! So, we're not that far from where there's going to be some good waves to start with. Magnetize your boots, and get your board in place, like this..." He hurriedly strapped the thruster unit to his back, pocketed the tricorder, and reeled in his board by the strap that attached it to him. In moments he had the board in a position very similar to those that had done water surfing in the past.

"When you start to feel the pressure building on your suit, bring your knees up, catch the ions underneath. We'll pick up some good speed pretty quickly, but I don't think anyone's going to have any problems with it. Just hang loose and enjoy yourselves." Cyrin pulled out the tricorder once more and studied the screen for a moment. "First ion wave is in ten seconds..."

Relying on muscle memory, Kohl's movements weren't as shaky as they might have been. Although ion surfing was certainly new, the experience reminded him well enough of previous extra-vehicular journeys in the past, along with his sky surfing programs on the holodeck. With a well-practiced ease, Kohl pulled his knees up to his chest and lined up his board beneath his feet. As he magnetized his boots to the board, and the countdown was starting, only then did Kohl think to ask over the comms, "Are we going to feel the ion waves? In our bodies, I mean?"

"We're too narrow to feel too much, and our suits will protect us internally," Cyrin replied to try to calm any fears Kohl and the others might have, even as the tricorder registered the leading edge of the wave having now reached them. He slipped the device back into a sealable pocket. The risks were low at the start of a wave front, and this one wouldn't be much rougher than some stormy seas. "This close to the star though, without any kind of shields or a planetary magnetic field to deflect things, you should start noticing it any second now..." He fell silent as the density of the wave increased. Within seconds, they all would feel the odd sensation of being pushed by something they couldn't see, a feeling that would only build. "Here we go!"

The Trill brought his legs up towards his chest, bringing his board to face the incoming pressure, and he started to move. Slowly at first, as the board was struck by the rushing particles, but with rapidly increasing speed. He 'stood up' then, balancing against the unseen forces, and let out an excited and wordless shout as rode the wave. Though he kept his own board at an angle enough to make sure he would stay behind the others to keep an eye on them, letting some of the ions spill off ineffectively, Cyrin was grinning broadly beneath his helmet.

There was no fear. The fear sat waiting in the deep recesses of his mind but he refused to let it move to the forefront. He was determined. He was fierce. As instructed Elijah pulled the board underneath him and firmly planted his booted feet. He wasn't sure what to expect but that was fine. This was new and exciting, expectations didn't need to be there. He crouched and the first wave hit the front of his board. It lifted slightly then dropped. The board wobbled but yet he kept his balance and at that a smile and crept up onto his lips.

The wave of particles came faster now and somehow he kept up and kept his balance. He started to laugh and whoop everytime particles hit the front of his board. The board would wobble but he stabilized it, it was shift, he brought it back forward. It was a moment he felt so free and he had decided that he would need to try surfing in the water now too.

The back of Andreus Kohl's board started to rise, and Kohl's first reaction was to swear in Argelian. The universal translator was helpful in supplying the Federation Standard equivalent over the comms. Kohl shifted his weight to his back foot, and then he felt the glide beneath his board. His arms pinwheeled a bit, and he shifted the posture in his legs as if he could direct the board that way, but he didn't really know what he was doing. And so, he let the ion particles take him wherever they took him.

Ellsworth, feeling more than a little overconfident based on his water surfing experience, used the thruster to barrel into an ion wave, spin around and let it catch the back of his board to propel him forward. He grinned as the familiar force swelled beneath him, though the grin slowly faded as things began to progress out of his control.

The force of the ions was stronger and less predictable than the water, he found, and it began pushing the back of his board higher and the front lower. Though he gave it an admirable effort, the front of the board eventually tilted down and caught the leading edge of the ion wave. Once a critical mass of the charged particles had passed over the tip of the board, they jerked it down sharply into the wave and sent Ellsworth into a wipeout. He spun rapidly end-over-end until the ion wave had finally passed and left him in a somewhat slower, wobbly rotation that made him more than a little nauseous; nevertheless, he managed to laugh at both his failure and the arrogance of it.

Elijah felt so free, he had total control of his board which he was surprised at. He was actually pretty good at this. He always had a good sense of balance, he had to learn how to stay on his feet with all the punches he took over the years. The calmness of space was calming to him and he just let 'riding' the wave consume him.

Seeing the group having fun and getting the hang of it ahead of him, Cyrin turned his board and profile expertly into the ion surge to pick up some speed. He bent at the knees, pulled the front part of his board up, and soared above the rest of them. Mid-way through his arc, Cyrin flipped around his center of gravity and twisted, so now the others seemed to be below him and upside down. He angled his board differently now so he could keep watching from his vantage point and pulled out the tricorder again.

"Good start everyone!" he said excitedly over the comms. "We have another surge incoming, should be a bit stronger than the first. Good job on staying loose, Ells, keep it up!" Cyrin had watched the wipeout with a grimace, hoping the young man had remembered not to tense up and snap something, and was glad to hear the laughter.

In the distance, on a heading that was definitely not one of the approved approach vectors of the station, a Sydney-Class transport ship dropped out of warp and into normal space with a flash of swirling colour and light. Cyrin was faced away from it, but Kohl might see it speeding towards him and the rest of the group's general trajectory.

"Xaaaaaaanth," Kohl intoned over the comms. The prolonged vowel was, clearly, a defence mechanism to keep any trace of panic from his voice. One hand hovered over his thruster controls. "That one, uhm, that one," he said as he waggled his other gloved hand in the direction of the Sydney-Class ship bearing down on them, "That one was on your traffic schedule, yeah?"

That was pretty close, Elijah thought to himself. A little too close actually. However, no one didn't say that this wasn't dangerous. Though, being a hood ornament for the saucer section of a starship was not his idea of fun either. "I some how doubt it," Elijah said over the comm. He stared for a moment at the startship. "It's trajectory is off." Not looking at anyone in particular he said, "I suggest we move."

Cyrin rotated his board sharply and used the ion surge to bring himself back around, then cursed in his native tongue, "Arect!" He pointed the tricorder in the direction of the incoming ship, but he knew how things in space operated, how they moved, and he had a bad sensation in the pit of his stomach. A few seconds later and the device in his hand had finished mapping out trajectories for the surfers and the vessel.

"Everyone, listen up!" Cyrin called out, his voice breaking and betraying his fear. "Scatter now back towards the station." Even as he spoke, the Trill had tossed the tricorder aside to grab hold of his thruster pack again and shot off in Kohl's direction. "Lieutenant, I need you to do something different. Use your thrusters, I want you to head above the plane that ship on." Kohl was too close, with as fast as the transport was moving, but the others were spaced far enough apart that they should be able to avoid the danger. Cyrin sped towards the lieutenant with his own collision course he hoped would knock them both out of the path of the ship and the dangerous ion wake that surged behind it.

At Elijah's warnings, Kohl had aimed himself back towards the airlock. He hadn't hit full thrust until he received Cyrin's instructions. "I'm gone," Kohl confirmed, and he slapped the thruster controls. Kohl launched himself up and away from the others, although his unfamiliarity with the controls, and the interference of the board on his boots, send him zig-zagging as he headed home.

[OFF]


Lieutenant Commander Andreus Kohl
Chief Research Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Elijah Williams, IV
Geologist
USS Galileo

Ensign Cyrin Xanth
Astrophysicist
USS Galileo

Lieutenant JG Grayson Jones
Asst Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

PO3 Ellsworth Hudson
Quartermaster
USS Galileo
[PNPC - Mott]

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