May I Take A Peek? (part 4)

Posted on Sun Jan 20, 2019 @ 2:34am by Civilian Jason Haines & Lieutenant Alanna Wells

1,866 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Doors of Perception
Location: Arboretum
Timeline: MD3 - 1700

[CONTINUED]

[OLD]

"We are a diverse group," she said, not quite sure how to sum up her co-workers. "They're amazing in a crisis." She shook her head. "That may seem like an odd comment, but we've had some situations where we had to perform miracles. It's good to have people you can trust in a tight situation. I think you'll fit in."

[NEW]

"I hope so", Jason said. "I've not had much practice in the miracle performance arena. I only took minor intervention for aspiring deities in Starfleet. I still sometimes wonder why they sent me out here. I think of all the tales of wild 'adventures' my dad told me about and my mom smacked him for telling me about them."

He smiled at the thought.

"It seems like this assignment might be the beginning of one of those type of experiences, but I am not sure if I have the skillset to take care of things. I just feel like I'll be winging and faking it half the time."

Alanna nodded, understanding how he felt. "I'm afraid that's par for the course. You never really know what you're capable of until you're thrown in at the deep end. I don't recommend it for everyone, but the team here is a great safety net." She chuckled wryly. "Sorry for mixing my metaphors."

"Well, I were just being thrown in a pool, that would be great", he replied. "I swim very well and I look good in my swim trunks, if I do say so myself. No worries about mixed metaphors. If that's all that gets mixed up while I am here, I will be quite happy."

He scooped up some of his ice cream that had turned to soup. "Ah, the best part."

Alanna shook her head, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "I'll let you enjoy it." She preferred hers before it melted. She ate the last of her still semi-frozen custard and wiped her mouth with her napkin. "That was positively decadent."

"See, when I was a kid, sometimes my godparents would take me overnight" , Jason explained. "My godmother, who I call aunt, used to give me cookies to dunk in the melted ice cream and then send me home hyped up on sugar. Drive my mom bonkers."

She chuckled softly. "That explains a lot. I did the same, but with cookies and milk. I still enjoy them from time to time."

Jason let out of a sigh of contentment and then asked, "So, shall we go walk this off? I know if I don't I'll probably be wanting to take a nap and it is way too early for that."

"Yes, we should definitely go for a walk."

They wandered through the promenade to the turbolift that took them to the arboretum. "I must admit, this is my favorite place on the station," she said when they walked through the main doors. "Holodecks aren't the same as being around real trees."

"That's true", Jason said. "They are a lot more peaceful than holodeck trees. What's your favorite kind of tree? Mine's the willow. They just sort of stand there as if to say, 'Whatever, I am just going to chill out right here.' "

"Willows are awesome. I still feel like a kid in a special fort when I slip behind the branches," she admitted. "I don't think I have a favorite. I like different trees for different reasons. I think I'm partial to big trees you can climb."

"I was never a big tree climber", Jason said as they walked along. "It seemed like more trouble than it was worth, unless you need a place to get a good view."

Alanna nodded. "I understand the sentiment. I grew up on a small colony where much of my childhood was spent playing in the woods." Usually by herself, but she never felt loney or that she was missing out. On the contrary, she felt fortunate that she had so much time to play and learn.

"Oh yeah?" Jason asked. "What was the most memorable thing you found while playing in the woods?"

Alanna chuckled. "Unfortunately, it was the time I discovered a stash of winter nuts and ate half of them before I realized they were going bad."

Jason couldn't help himself and laughed heartily.

"Oh my word, that must have been a rough time afterwards", Jason said, trying to stop laughing.

"Go ahead and laugh. It served me right," she said, grinning. "Although I couldn't look at a nut for years."

"Obviously you got over that as you've been hanging around me for the past hour and a half", Jason said with a smirk. "And I can't laugh too much. When I was 13, dad took me on only my second scuba trip. We were swimming in this one area near New Zealand and he warned me about the area I was swimming into. I thought I was so smart and didn't listen to him. I swam right into a smack of jelly-fish. I got stung so bad I passed out and for the next week I was red as an apple."

"Ouch." She winced in sympathy. "I went back to nuts, but I don't think you'll try that again." The arboretum wasn't crowded, which allowed them to choose their own path as they walked.

"My own fault", Jason said with a smile. "And no, I tend to stay away from jelly fish, but as a word of warning, if you ever scuba dive on a Klingon world, they expect you to prove yourself by swimming through swarms of equivalent creatures, except the stingers leave gashes. So, to a more pleasant topic, how many different species are planted in here?"

Alanna made a mental note to never go scuba diving on a Klingon world. "Forty two different varieties of trees, 256 varieties of flowers and flowering plants, and 128 other types of plants. Unless Brianthe has added anything in the past week." She smiled at Jason. "She's the botanist who runs the arboretum. She also isn't done with the renovations she's making. I've made some suggestions, and vetoed others, but we mostly agree on what we want in here."

"What, no vegetable garden?" he asked. "A real tomato would be good."

"Not here. There's a separate section for herbs, vegetables, and fruits. I think we have some ripe tomatoes. Unfortunately, we can't grow enough produce on the station to feed everyone. We generally use them for creating hybrids. Some of our herbs are used by the restaurants on the promenade." She left the path and went through a grove of trees to a back room. "We can cut through here to get you a tomato."

"We don't have to worry about vegetables right now", Jason replied. "So, are there any areas planet-side that look suitable for farming?"

The workroom had tables along the walls filled with cuttings of various plants and starter pots. Alanna turned to Jason. "Yes. There's a lot of space that could support farming, but the colonization is in question right now. Several factions are arguing that they have a right to settle, but there are so many places that have to be off limits that it's problematic. There's a research colony that just opened, and the portal facility that is under as much security as we can get."

She cocked her head to one side and looked at him for several moments. She was quite enjoying his company and would prefer to get to know him better, but this was a good opportunity to bring up another subject. "I do want to talk to you soon about ideas for increasing security there. I've got the best security Starfleet has, plus some tricks I learned over the years for catching poachers and tomb raiders, but I'm still not comfortable. A few months ago, a shuttle almost got through the sensors to the planet."

"By all means", Jason answered. "I'm not just another pretty face after-all. I've already been tasked with it by the Commander, both here and on the station. Once I get to review all the security information, I'll arrange to test things to see where improvements can be made. I am sure Lieutenant Tessaro won't like me for a while, but it needs to be done."

"The portal facility is under Starfleet Sciences and not the station itself, Marines handle the security on the ground." Alanna explained. "Lieutenant Tessaro handles security for the research facility on the planet." It could be confusing for the uninitiated. "I would appreciate any help you could give me. I can show you around the facility after we look at the burial pit tomorrow." She couldn't help grinning. "If you're not tired of my company by then."

"Well, I am glad to hear that your idea of showing a guy a good time involves more than burial pits", Jason said with a wink. "And I am sure you will grow tired of me before I of you. I'm a sucker for a smart and lovely lady."

Alanna felt herself blush. "Compliments like that could set a lady's heart aflutter." Yes, she was definitely enjoying his wit and his company. "And since I'm saving the burial pit and temporal caverns for tomorrow's entertainment, is there anything else you would like to do tonight?"

"There are many things I would like to do tonight", Jason said with a smile. "but even though I spent the last three weeks reading reports while stuck in a runabout, I have much more that I must read tonight. I've had a great time. I hope we can do it again soon."

"So do I," Alanna said, hoping he wasn't just speaking platitudes. "Thank you, sir," she gave him a brief curtsy. "For a most delightful evening. If you don't mind, I'll walk with you to the turbolift. I want to look over the data from that burial pit before we go see it tomorrow."

"I would be honored to escort you mi-lady", he replied with a smile and slight bow.

He walked her to the turbolift and when they got on he said, "I'm on deck 29, where are you?"

"Deck 24 with the other senior officer's quarters."

"Deck 29", Jason said once the turbolift doors closed. There was barely any time for small talk when the doors swished open.

"I had a great time", Jason said. "Thank you for showing me about some and keeping me out of trouble."

"I'm not so sure about keeping you out of trouble, but I had a great time, too," she said. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure", he said with a smile as the turbolift doors swished close. Jason whistled a little tune as he headed for his room. At least he would have some positive energy going as he read through his reports.

Alanna stared at the closed door, still smiling. When it opened again, she headed to her quarters, humming a cheerful tune. She was going to spend a good deal of her evening thinking of long-dead bodies and a certain intelligence officer.

____
OFF

Lieutenant JG Alanna Wells
Chief Science Officer
Deep Space Five

Lieutenant JG Jason Haines
Chief Intelligence Officer
Deep Space Five

 

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