Secrets, and Those We Share With (Pt 2)

Posted on Sun Jun 10th, 2018 @ 10:05pm by Lieutenant Valeria Mordin & Lieutenant Hel Samedi

Mission: Of Machines and Men
Location: Holodeck 2, cliff on Ts'usugi

"This is nice." Hel's voice was quiet, after almost an hour of saying nothing, just sitting there atop the cliff on Ts'usu. If asked she wouldn't even be say whether she'd meant to address Valeera or just utter the thought in general. She was still idly strumming her guitar, almost playing a melody.

Valeera sat in the grass next to Hel, lost in thought and listening idly to the strumming. "During Daiyuri, or True Night, the whole field would light up with pulseflies, and the whole of the night would come alive." she said softly, "Some things can't be replicated or imitated. You'll have to see *that* for yourself."

"Already looking forward to it." A smile. "Daiy - .. What was that word? True Night? How's that different from any other ni - ooh, the dual moons. Right. Probably makes for interesting tidal movement as well."

"Triple." Valeera corrected. "Ts'usu has three moons, which we live on. The planet itself is uninhabited, by ancient decree." she continued, "Sure, we *could* simply return to the world of our birth, but at this point we're so accustomed to life on the moons that ruining Ts'usu's beauty would hardly be worth it. Plus, we have all the room we can find."

She then gave a nod, "Daiyuri. True Night, it's when the side of the moon you are on is pointed away from the home star, rather then simply being eclipsed by the home world or another moon, and yes it does make beach excursions interesting." she smirked, "But now, we have the modern science to accurately track the tides. Rather than having to rely on math and patterns." at that, she giggled.

"Triple, right, sorry." Hel smiled, then made a face. "Note to self. Check out Ts'usugi tidal maps." Then a moment again spent just in silence before she spoke again. "This place reminds me of somewhere we used to vacation when I was young. It's a nature reserve on my people's home planet, Earth. Though I was born and raised on a colony, we visited Earth from time to time, paying homage to our roots as my father used to say." A pause. "Wanna see?"

Valeera gave a nod, "I wanted to share a glimpse of my world with you. I'd love to see a glimpse of Earth. Cradle of humanity, or so they say."

"Everyone has a fondness for their own home world, nostalgia is a powerful motivator." Hel offered, springing up to her feet and offering Valeera a hand up. "Now, close your eyes." she smirked.

The rabbitess rose to her feet with Hel's assistance and took a breath before she closed her eyes tight.

"Computer, new program. Earth. Schwarzwald. Let's go with mid summer season. Five thirty in the morning." A bleep of confirmation, and the scenery changed. The first thing Valeera would notice is the different smell - different from what she was used to, fresh, the scent of an Earth forest. Then, sounds. The soft rustling of leaves, the melodic song of birds.

Those lengthy ears twitched at the new sounds, and that adorable little nose of her's twitched with the new scents that accompanied the as-of-yet unseen scene. Different songbirds making different songs, different trees rustling in an alien wind on a world so distant that Ts'usu had yet to receive even the slightest glimmer of that star's light. Concepts and parallels, but the difference between them were the heart of discovery.

"You can open your eyes now." spoke Hel, even as she held on to Valeera's hand and squeezed it softly. The Ts'usugi Operations Officer found herself in a dim and shadowy forest, on a dirt and sand path. Little pin pricks of the brightening sky were visible through the canopy, casting mottled dimples of light on the ground. A large deer observed the two women from its shadowy place between the oaks, chestnuts, spruces and firs, then bolted deeper into the woods.

Those deep blue pools slowly opened, and widened at the sight before her, marveled at the sight around her. The trees were so different, but there were as many similarities as there were dissimilarities. The motion caught her attention, and the magnificent creature's hesitance only heightened the curiosity of the rabbitess. As it bolted, she seemed disappointed. As though on some fundamental level she had hoped that it knew they meant her no harm.

Without a word Hel squeezed Valeera's hand again and began walking. There was a bend in the path up ahead, and as they rounded it, they emerged at the edge of the forest.

Standing on a tall hill, before them stretched out the rolling forested hill sides of the Black Forest region on Earth. The peaks, covered with forest, with clearings visible here and there. Castles sat on a few of the peaks, and quaint villages lived in the lee of the hills. A river wound between the hills and small mountains, a silvery lake or two shimmering in the early dawn's light. A white morning mist lay in the deep valleys, bathed in the subtle blues and purples of dawn.

If the dim darkness of the woods impressed her, the colors and vibrant splendor of the view now would strike her silent in awe. The sun's coloration of the region, the perfect lighting for such a view. It threatened to move her to tears, but she endured the emotion of the moment, and just looked on in silent awe.

"Can such a place be real?" she asked in a hushed whisper.

Hel laughed, a soft, musical vocalization of mirth and amusement. "Very real. And one day I'll take you to the actual place." she smiled. Another few words spoken at the computer, and a blanket appeared on the grass near the women, along with a wicker basket and two plates. Hel led the daughter of Ts'usu to the picnic spot, there to sit down on the blanket, with enough space for Valeera to join her.

"I look forward to it." the rabbitess replied as she was led to the Optimal Picnic Spot, and she sat upon the blanket with Hel.

"We used to picnic in these woods. It was a ritual of sorts." Hel mused, opening the basket. A loaf of sliced bread with jam, ham, cheese and chocolate sprinkles. Croissants, fresh and still warm. A large thermos of tea emerged from the basket as well, along with two glasses. "Join me in a meal?" she ventured. "This is jam, basically fruit preserve you spread on bread, very sweet. Ham, cheese, to put on bread by themselves or with each other. chocolate sprinkles, goes on bread, very popular in this area. Also a ham-cheese croissant for you and one for me. Eat these while they're still warm, they're very good."

"We have something similar, though it isn't very sweet." she recalled, "Of course. It all looks so good. I really admire the presentation of human cuisine." she complimented, and then examined the croissant for a moment, took a sniff, and seemed to enjoy the scent. She took a cursory nibble, then perked up a bit and took a bite.

Seeing a rabbit with teeth was one thing, but some of those were sharp looking.

A few chews, and a swallow to follow. "That *is* good. And those are chocolate sprinkles, you say? I thought they were smaller... but I won't disagree with larger slivers." It was no secret that Valeria enjoyed chocolate.

A hare emerged from the treeline to observe the valley, ears twitching and eyes turning to the two women enjoying a breakfast even though it was around dinner time. It too hesitated a moment, then hopped back into the woods, said leap causing a few birds to scramble from the branches of a nearby tree.

"Yeah they're not really sprinkles, are they. More like flakes." Hel poured a few slivers on a hand, examining them for a moment. "Still good though. But first, my croissant." She closed her eyes as she bit into her croissant, a smile forming, savoring the taste.

A few minutes of silence and chomping followed, as the two enjoyed their warm croissants. Valeria almost regretted that she finished her's as quickly as she did, but each bite just demanded the next. She reached for a napkin to dab at the corners of her mouth, making sure there wasn't any gooey cheese lingering, "Next time I send a message home, I'll have to let them know about some of these. A little variety in our breakfast should make mom's kitchen the hit of the village." she mused with a smirk.

"And the next time we have a clear enough line of comms for a live feed, I can burn some buoy time for a live connection." she let the offer linger. "If there's interest, it won't be until next month, earliest."

It was that offer that brought home to Hel how real this was starting to get. Any talk of the future up until now had been a nebulous, undefined 'then', but this put things on a timeline. She hesitated a moment, shoulders falling slightly before speaking again. "I'm afraid." she quietly admitted.

"Not of seeing your family, but - " The pale engineer took a moment to gather her thoughts and find the words. "This is becoming real serious, isn't it. You and me. I've never - " and again the words failed her. "I've never had a relationship before. At least, not a serious one. Only flings. One night stands bring home a boy or girl, have sex, never see them again. That kind of thing. And now - " A slight pause. "I don't want to ruin or damage what we've got here. But it intimidates me."

"Then it waits until everyone's ready." Valeria said. There was no hint of shame or guilt evident in her voice. "My youngest sister can smell fear. Best not to test the range." she joked to remedy the moment. Truth be, it was her own fault for not offering an easy way to save face. "We take this at the pace where everyone's comfortable, and no faster."

"Most of my relationships back home were never anything serious or significant. I wanted recognition for what's between my ears, not what's below them. Turned out that most of my admirers back home either were only after my assets, or were more intrigued that I was a social deviant in the eyes of the region than anything I actually accomplished." she paused, "So, I suppose I can relate. But no, we go at a comfortable pace."

Hel smiled softly, leaning over to place one of those silly human kisses on Valeera's forehead. "Thank you." she whispered. "I do love what's between your ears. But I cannot help but admit a curiosity to the rest as well." she smiled, nipping at Valeera's button nose. "But, in time. I'll let you take the lead in that."

Valeria gave a smirk, and the inner color of her ears reddened just a touch. Perhaps the only way to tell that the rabbitess was wearing a blush. Those reflectionless eyes glanced along Hel's form, stopping once she reached Hel's face. Gently, the Daughter of Ts'usu leaned forward to rest her forehead against Hel's, and then snuck in one of those silly human kisses on Hel's nose. "Patience and respect. You do this Daughter of Ts'usu dignity. Were the Emperor to find out, she'd thank you in kind behind a hundred curtains of silk. Were my mother to find out, she'd make you soup and tell you to wash your hands before eating." Valeria gave a giggle, "Tell me more about this place." she whispered. "I've already broken protocol by showing you a piece of home. In for a koku, in for a gram." a pause, "I think that's how it translates."

Hel mock rawr'd and playfully nipped at Valeera's nose, before simply smiling and taking another bite of her sandwich - a ham and cheese one, politely finishing the bite before speaking again. "This is the Schwarzwald region, a nature preserve in a country on Earth called Germany. The name Schwarzwald translates to Black Forest, so named because in ancient times the forest was so dense it blocked all light from reaching the ground. It's home to about five or six different species of trees and hundreds of species of animals, ranging from medium sized predatory birds to small songbirds to large deer, ferrets and minks, foxes, rabbits and hares - the list goes on and on."

She continued. "Over there is the river Rhine. It has its origin in a mountain range called the Alps, further south, and runs through Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands until it empties in the North Sea. There are fresh water lakes you can see there and there. Over there is the town of Heidelberg, and right beyond that on the Königstuhl hill side is Schloss Heidelberg, old castle ruins. The oldest parts are now almost twelve hundred years old, with parts that are six to seven hundred years old."

Valeria gave a nod, listening intently to a history lesson of a foreign alien world. She nodded at times, to show she was essentially absorbing the information that Hel was providing. "I've always enjoyed the sight and concept of castles. Edifices of raw history, on display for the worlds to see. We have a few of them back home, though all of the castles on Ts'usu herself are in quite a state of disrepair as you can imagine." she smirked, "And the castles on the home moons are hardly what they were intended for. Now they're more mansions than castles, and to have enough room to actually build one now, you'd have to leave Ts'usu."

"It's beautiful here. The river, the lakes, the little town." she commented, aware that the town probably had more of a populace than her home village.

"Would you like to visit the castle? If I freeze or remove all the tourists and people we can have the place to ourselves. Don't expect too much though, it's a ruin and painstakingly kept in that condition as a monument to history." Hel offered.

Valeria smirked, "Inviting me to a castle all to ourselves? How could I say no." she teased with that smirk, "But first, let's finish this food. It all looks too good to go to waste." she knew that it wouldn't waste. Just a ploy to get to stay here in the picnic a little longer.

And Hel smiled. As she watched Valeera eat and enjoy the scenery, she manifested an acoustic guitar again and started playing once more. This time with more purpose, with meaning. And she began to sing. "There's no time for us, there's no place for us. What is this thing that builds our dreams, yet slips away from us. Who wants to live forever, Who wants to live forever?"

The melody sweet, the voice emotional, the lyrics speaking about the inevitable passing of time, and the end of love. Though, then, they took a turn, Hel's voice soaring, as she sang how much she didn't care about the inevitable end, but chose to live and exist in the moment instead. "But touch my tears, with your lips, touch my world with your fingertips, and we can have forever, and we can love forever. Forever is ours today."

Valeria enjoyed whenever Hel played. Songs from a distant star, with a purpose and a meaning behind each lyric. Most of the time, she'd ask about the meaning behind the music, but in this case she didn't need any explanation. When the song became more powerful, she stopped eating to give the song her full attention. When the lyrics died, and the music stopped, Valeria smiled. "Powerful and lovely, like the woman who sang it."

"Sometimes words escape me, so I use other people's words, to say what I want to." Hel mused, lying down on the blanket and just watching the light of the sunrise.