On the shores of Isca Concordia

Posted on 06 Jan 2019 @ 5:54pm by Lieutenant JG Matthew Plumeri
Edited on on 07 Jan 2019 @ 1:41pm

1,921 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 17 - Crystal of Life
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 07, Holodeck One
Timeline: MD -58, 0500 hours

[ON]

=A= Program complete. Enter when ready. =A=

Lieutenant JG Matthew Plumeri stood at the LCARS interface and said, “Thank You.” He was wearing a red, short-sleeved t-shirt that had written on it the logo of one of his favorite Paresis Squares sports teams. On the upper left chest, the image was that of a Paresis ball and superimposed over it was a ‘death’s head’ skull in the same style and color of the ball, which is white on black. On the front were the words,

Mars Champions 2390
Pompeii City Crater
the ‘Pompeii Pummelers’
"A Full Service Paresis Squares Ball Club - We Pummel & Pound So You Don't Have Too!"

The words were silk-screened into the shirt and were well work. It was one of his favorite shirts. Stepping through the double doors and entering the holodeck, the back of the shirt had all the games that the ‘Pompeii Pummelers’ had won and whom they had beaten. Across the back of the shoulders was written, “Talk to the Hand”.

Stepping into the holodeck and onto a deserted beach, the doors closed behind him and vanished. This was the long peninsula on the planet of Navicella. This was Isca Concordia. In either direction there were miles and miles of shoreline that remained untouched and undeveloped. The sun was high above his head and even though the air was manufactured, Matt still took in a deep breath. He took a few more steps forward onto the golden white sand of the beach. He stood still and looked out across the deep blue water and the rolling waves that came rushing onto the shore. It was soothing.




There was a white wooden reclining chair here with big puffy soft cushions, a towel and pillows. There is a small table with a cooler of water and lemon slices to give it some flavor. Matt walks towards the setup and along the way pulls off the red-t-shirt. His lean, toned, frame beneath is the hard work gained from the gym. He tosses the t-shirt onto the chair and from the pocket of his shorts, he retrieves a pair of sunglasses and puts them on. He is wearing ‘flip-flops’ for sandals and they come off next to the chair. He relishes the feeling of the soft warm sand on his feet and between his toes. He slips off his shorts and they fall to his ankles. He lifts his right leg and catches the shorts and tosses them to the chair as well. He is wearing a skin tight-fitting, lycra-like support running shorts. Offering both support and comfort as well as warmth, they fit snuggly around his waist and come down to just above the knees. He adjusts the legs and pulls them up higher. He has very furry blond arms and legs that would be helpful perhaps in colder climates. But not here.

He stretches his arms and spends another minute stretching his leg muscles before he begins to jog along the shoreline in what would be a northerly direction. The sun feels so good on his bare back and chest. It may be “just” holographic, but he’ll take it. It’s good enough to keep him from getting ‘cabin fever’. He jogs closer to the waters edge where the golden white sand is wetter and firmer. His very human footprints leave a trail behind him. A solitary one. Breathing in the ocean mist and the salty-air invigorates him and he picks up the pace. Occasionally, a blast of ocean mist wafts towards him and glistens on his bare chest, face and arms. He is wearing a heart monitor on his wrist. Yes, he could have the computer just scan his heart rate from inside the holodeck. But then he would be interrupted by beeps, clicks, tones and whistles not to mention the monotone voice announcing to seemingly the entire beach his progress.

No, instead he opted for an older technology that would keep a log but not interrupt him unless he wanted it too. He considered an early morning run like this good for his cardio workout. As he ran, he mused that the only reason to do the cardio was so that he could eat whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. His mind wandered and the events of yesterday and plans for today came to his attention like so many soap bubbles. Forming, rising and the popping away. He let them pass.

Or like the waves coming in from the shore. Thoughts came to him, rushing at him and then dissipating away like to foam on the beach as the wave retreats to the ocean. He ran closer to the water’s edge now. Getting his feet, ankles and calves wet. These running shorts were great at whisking away sweat and heat as he ran. They were black and yellow and very comfortable.

He looked to his left. The sun was still high in the sky and off in the distance he could see billowing white clouds. Looking further left over his shoulder, he could see that darker clouds were forming and that this afternoon there might even be a rain shower. Those were truly awesome. The waters from the ocean here, especially if it rained, were often bath water warm. It was a wonderful feeling to be out in the rain, warm and have the ocean a few degrees cooler to e in if you liked. The air was mostly calm with only a slight breeze.

He could feel his heart pumping in his chest and he looked at the monitor. ~Good~, he thought to himself, ~Been lazy lately. Need to get the heart rate up again. How else am I going to keep my girlish figure?~ He laughed out loud to himself at the old joke. He picked up the pace ever so slightly and ran on.

He thought about the mission – as much of it as he knew. He thought about the people he had met so far and his working relationships with them. He reviewed the work that they had all done together as a department. The time they had spent over sub-space with other astronomers and planetary scientists. It was thrilling work and Matt felt lucky to be here. Still, he was concerned about what was going on at home back on Fontalis. He pushed those thoughts aside for the time being and slowed his pace and then to a walk.

He was breathing in large breaths. The sweat, the ocean mist glistened on his skin. He took the sunglasses off and wiped them off with his thumb. He could see his goal up ahead. Not too far now. He forced himself to jog again and in a few minutes was at his goal.

A tall obelisk, at least one-hundred feet high (30 meters) made of pure black and white Fontalan marble. It was impressive. The base was huge and stood on a pedestal. Around the base, in a semi-circle arc was a covered atrium. In between the columns were six statues. One for each of the kings or generals that made the event for this memorial possible. Each statue was in a striking and heroic pose in the style of the world they came from.

At the base of each was their name. Matthew had seen them many times but even so, he walked from the shore towards the monument. On the base of the obelisk, written on a plaque in six languages were these words, Matthew of course read them in Fontalan but they were also written in Standard;


O Navicella! The smallest and fairest.
Blessed shall you be among the firmament!
Loose from your feet your shoes, for all around.
The place on which you stand is holy ground.
~~~
No more shall armed bands
Our hopes destroy.
Peace waves her wing
And pours forth every Joy.

===}}} ON THIS SITE THE TREATY OF CONCORDIA WAS SIGNED IN THE YEAR FOURTEEN-HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SEVEN – THE ETERNAL YEAR OF POSSIAMO THE GREAT. MONARCH OF THE SKY AND BY THE SIX PRINCES - MAY RIGHTEOUSNESS AND EQUITY REIGN FOREVER AND EVER. {{{===


Matt read the words and every time he did, he considered them as fragile, delicate. A fervent prayer rather than a statement of solid, immutable fact. They were the hope of people generations ago. A wish that the struggles they had fought so hard for, the pains and the costs they had endured would never come again. He approached the base of the obelisk and the pure latinum plaque with due reverence, wiping away some holographic grains of sand. He stood back and his eyes followed the obelisk to the top where, crowned in gold, was a representation of peace. Her wings outstretched and an amphora jar in her hand outpoured.

As a child, his memory of this place was filled with people. Bustling with the sounds and voices of crowds of people. And, while the monument was a ‘tourist attraction’ he never did feel that it ought to also be a circus. His arms on his hips now, he stood back. Breathing easier he took it all in. What people centuries ago put into marble, stone, latinum, bronze and gold; the Federation had put into practice. And he felt a sense of pride. A sense of…continuity really. That the hopes and aspirations of a people that he was only a distant cousin, half-breed to would smile and nod approvingly. Starfleet and the Federation now carried the torch of this monument, Matthew felt.

He walked back to the water and waded in. Feeling with water with his fingers. Listening to the surge and feeling the swell as a wave passed him. He started to walk back and then jog back to the chair and the table. It wasn’t long before he was back. Grabbing a towel, he wiped his muscled body dry and sat in the chair as he drank the cool water. Far out at sea, he could see the great sea serpents rise out of the waters and splash as they came down. A few of them played, far out to sea. Their enormous bodies making white the ocean. High above them, like jellyfish in the sky were the “Scicappio”. Better known to Matt as the “sky cows” since both pronunciations seems to work interchangeably. Creatures that lived in the atmosphere and fed on birds and the moisture and chemicals that made Navicella their home. Their long tentacles, like a Terran jellyfish, reaching beneath them.

=A= The time is 0630 hours =A= the voice of the computer chimed in.

Matt said, “Right-o.” He got dressed, put his flip-flops back on and felt entirely refreshed and re-energized. “Computer, arch.” The LCARS interface for the holodeck appeared before him. He walked towards it and rubbing the beach sand off of his hairy legs and sandals, said, “Save program.”

The computer chirped in happy compliance. The shores of Isca Concordia vanished and were replaced by the stainless steel gridwork and lines of the holodeck. The doors open, Matt left, waving to a friend and then running towards them, “Hey?! Want to get some breakfast?!” And the doors closed behind him.

[OFF]

--

LTJG Matthew Plumeri
Science Officer – Historian
USS Galileo-A

 

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