Star Trek: Theurgy

Day 16 [2100 hrs.] Nothing Ventured...

August 19, 2020, 11:13:58 PM

NOTHING VENTURED
STARDATE 57597.49
MARCH 26, 2381
2100 HRS

[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Aboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Number6 
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The meeting with Commander Ducote had gone quite well, and lasted over an hour. The back and forth flow came naturally, and once they had finished up, Natalie had seen fit to order herself a full meal. Ducote had excused himself to go and meet up with Lt. Commander Tiran, and thus surrendered the table to Natalie. Having brought a PaDD with her already, and having some serious planning and thinking to attend to, Nat simply set up shop there in cafe and proceeded to review duty rosters for the up coming week. She'd settled on Salmon for dinner, accompanied by some greens, rice, and a light lentil soup, and she switched from the remnants of the coffee carafe to a lightly sweetened lemonade. It all paired very well together and Natalie found herself stretching hours later, having taken care of the majority of the paperwork needed to insure she could actually take off, starting at the end of her shift the following night, again, as discussed with the Commander.

That left her at a bit of a loss as to how to proceed with the actual act of taking shore leave. She would need to figure out when she was going to depart the ship - right after her shift, or wait until the following morning. Accommodations had to be taken care of. If she was to consider herself banned from the Theurgy for a full 48 hours, then she clearly couldn't beam back up to sleep for the night. Ducote had offered up a few suggestions for places other officers had stayed, and noted there were a collection of very popular spas, that Natalie might look into.  But the idea of sailing had appealed to her too. Would she spend the whole time on a boat?

There was so much to sort out, and none of it was the one giant elephant that she had been ignoring the whole while: did she want to go on the trip alone.

The answer was as obvious as it was simple: no. As much as Natalie had to deal with people every day, at all hours, and as appealing as the idea of having no one making demands of her time was (and as much of an introvert as she happened to b) in this instance, the idea of exploring Aldea alone, or even just finding a nice inn and a book for two days and hunkering down away from the ship, just didn't measure up. And there was a simple reason for that.  A smile, nervous in nature, passed across her face as she looked down at the arboretum below, with officers winding about. Things had changed a lot in the past few weeks for Natalie, and some of those changes had been for the better. That did little to settle her nerves for what she was about to do, because as she understood it, going on leave together with someone, even for just 2 days, was 'a big step' or so all the holodrama's had led her to believe.

You knew this was going to come up sooner or later. It's not like it's been some giant secret. And you even pondered a bit about it while talking to Ducote. Even if you beat around the bush about the exact nature of things. That the specific nature she was thinking of was something that was in flux, and very, very weird and new and precious did little to change the fact that Natalie was now stalling. She shook her head and pushed herself up from the table, dusting crumbs from her flannel shirt. Leaving the cafe proper, she took the nearby turbollift down two flights, and stepped into the warm embrace of the arboretum itself, a place she had frequented quite often in the past few weeks.

She bit her lip for a moment, then pictured a face in her mind, and smiled. Yes, she was anxious, but what was the worse that could happen? Stopping that line of thought before it went any further, Natalie tapped her fingers on her combadge. "Stark to Lt. Vanya," she said softly, peeling off to the left of the entrance and heading for a nice bench set up near the little brook that ran through the enclosed park. "If you're not busy with anything, would you mind meeting me in the Arboretum? I've ah...got an idea I want to run by you, if you're game." She waited for the reply, and then laughed softly, adding, "Yes, you have to wait until you get here to find out about it. Something's come up and I could use your brain. And the rest of you too, so bring all of you along.

"Right. I'll see you soon. Shouldn't be hard to find me, I look to be the only one here not in uniform." With that she closed the comm link, leaned back and let out a long huff of air. No pressure, Nat. It's not like when you told her about Nicander. So calm down.

Re: Day 26 [2100 hrs.] Nothing Ventured...

Reply #1 – August 20, 2020, 12:27:06 AM

[Lt. Vanya| Holodeck| Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Brutus

Vanya walked through the neural landscape she had created.    What would normally be microscopic filaments were like huge jungle Vines.   She scanned her location, when she came to an anomaly or issue she stopped, and looked at the giant representation, making subtle changes where she could.   Finally satisfied, she took a step back.  

“Computer, save updates and exit microscopic mode.   The room she was in shrank, the giant brain that had once been the focus of the room, was now normal sized, and suspended in mid air opposite the android’s green eyes.    From a tool bench, she picked up a PADD, and hit the activate button.  

The brain powered up   She smiled.   This was her chance to create a hybrid multronic, positronic brain.   She was taking sme down time, and decided to take it in the holodeck.   Nat was busy, and enjoying activities in the holodeck like swimming reminded her of swimming in the Cayuga holodecks.   So, she turned to her other hobby

“Conputer, monitor the processing rate of the brain.”  She said.  

“Design is at 20 percent, 47 percent.."   Vanya swore.  The processing rate was climbing too quickly She knew what this would mean   “87 percent, 103 percent, 140 percent, 200…” the computer beeped again.   The brain made a small popping sound.   “Irreversible Cascade Failure at Time index 918.”  

She threw the PADD across the room.   Cybernetics was one of her interests.   She had recently toyed with the idea of creating an android herself, however,  the results were less than successful.   The new hybrid method she had postulated meant it would have the advanced abilities of the positronic brain, while having more instinctive capacities of her own multironic matrix.  

Sadly, her theories were proving to difficult to develop  

She considered what could be causing the latest round of issues when her combadge beeped.  Despite her failures she smiled when she heard Nat’s voice ask if she was free.  

“I am.” Vanya said, casting a glance towards to the smoking ruin that had been attempt number 28.  “Now”.

Nat asked to meet her in the arboretum, saying that she wanted to run something past her,   Curiosity started to dominate her mind.  “Arboretum?   I’m guessing its, whats the human phrase, ‘off the clock stuff’?” she asked with a smile in her voice.  

She heard Nat laugh, she remembered that laugh from before, but to hear it, here, now after everything she had told Vanya about her time on Theurgy made the android’s smile grow.   She told her to come over.   “Fine but just so you know, my brain will calculate between 100-150 distinct scenarios before I get there.”  

Natalie said that she was out of uniform.   That sent the possibilities hurtling past 200   Looking at test brain 28, simulated smoke curling up from the processor.    Vanya smiled.   “Sorry looks like you’ve been outbid.   Computer, save program and close,” 

Vanya left the holodeck and headed down the corridor, she was duty, yet didn’t have much in the way of personal wear, choosing instead to wear her blue uniform undershirt and pants, with the collar down and top unzipped slightly.   She was barefoot, enjoying the sensation of the carpets and deck plating.   Fortunately for her, the holodecks were only one deck above the arboretum.  

Unlike some androids, Vanya had emotions her entire life, and understood them   Nevertheless  the anticipation, the excitement at seeing what her friend… her more than friend, had planned was something almost completely new

She sauntered up to the Bench where Nat was sitting in civilian clothing. The shirt was a similar style of when they were at the academy.   As she looked at her, she could almost fool herself into thinking she was the same young woman she had known.   Almost.   Now she was more than that, and something Vanya had felt drawn to.  

Play it cool, play it cool.  

“Nice look” she said  sitting down by her side.   “What’s up?”

 

Re: Day 26 [2100 hrs.] Nothing Ventured...

Reply #2 – August 20, 2020, 04:09:20 AM

[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Aboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Number6 
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Crossing one leg over the other at the knee, Natalie stat in the shade of a willow tree, by the bank of the brook. She took her PaDD in hand and punched up the protocols to link up to the Aldean information net. Research wasn't exactly a new concept to Natalie. She'd had to do quite a bit of background study on Aldea after they had figured out where they were, to the point that she had set up shop for a few sleepless nights in the ships library, going through various history texts and records for Aldea. So she had a decent idea of where to start when it came to booking a trip planet side. Oh, she could just beam down easily enough. Plenty of officers had picked one of the various towns, replicated a costume for the day, and stepped onto the transporter pad, returning hours later with smiles on their faces.

She started flicking through some of the commentary and contract reports that had been filed by returning crew, looking for anything that really caught her eyes. The commander had been right earlier when he noted the spa's were popular with the crew. A heat crawled into her cheeks as she read some of the more detailed reports, eyebrows rising up high onto her forehead. Good lord. Nope. no no no nope nope no way no how uh-uh nope. The Ensign in question had given a detailed review of some of the services that certain parlors offered. It sounded like the kind of thing she would have expected to read about on Risa, not Aldea.

So of course that was about the time that Vanya showed up. Maybe it was because she was an android, but her old Academy roommate had possessed an uncanny ability to show up right when Natalie was in the middle of something embarrassing, or ripe for poking fun at. Impeccable as ever, there she was with a grin on her face. Nat remember the first time she had seen Vanya smiling at her, and how it had struck fear in her. Now, she answered with a smile of her own, having managed - this time - not to jump out of her skin, if only just.

"Thanks," she noted as Vanya dropped onto the bench beside her. She let her eyes flick up and down over the Romulan and felt her lips quiver in a little smile again. "You look nice and relaxed," she added with wry amusement, glancing down at the girls feet. "We'll go stroll in the grass in a minute," she added, tilting her PaDD down and pointing toward the bare toes. Some things never changed, and Vanya's proclivity toward bare feet - and bare everything, as she well recalled - seemed to have lasted through the intervening years since their time in San Francisco.

Biting down on her lip for a moment, Natalie eased back on the bench and shifted her weight, letting one arm rest over the wooden back, and wiggling her hips so that she could better look at Vanya. Realizing she was going to build herself up int oa state if she just didn't launch into things, she offered up a crooked smile to her friend and shrugged on shoulder gently. "I just had a meeting with our illustrious first officer. He's booting me off the ship."

Nat let that settle in for a minute, then giggled and shook her head. "Temporarily, no need to go hunt him down," she said, holding up her hands, the PaDD laying on the bench between them. "I've been ordered to take 48 hours of shore leave, effective at the end of my shift tomorrow. Specifically, off the ship no later than Saturday morning. Something about working too hard and burning myself out at both ends. Nonsense, you know?" She made light of it, but the first officer was right. Nat had not had a break since they'd started their flight from Earth. Unlike many others aboard, she had lived, and suffered through everything the ship had been forced to endure. And then she'd spent the past two weeks working all hours of the clock.

"He may have been onto something," she allowed, shrugging and looking away for the moment. "So I need to figure out what I'm doing and where I'm going. I'm thinking I might go sailing for a bit, yano? Like back on Mars with Dad." She said it with a certain shared familiarity. After all, Vanya had met Chief Stark when he'd come to pick up his daughter after their Freshman year, and she'd gone with Nat to Mars during the break before their final year at the Academy. Of everyone aboard, the Romulan Android had a frame of reference for what Nat was alluding to.

"I'm just not sure if I want to spend the whole time on a boat," Natalie continued. She was stalling, and brought her gaze back to Vanya. "So I could use a bit of advice. What do you think? I'm open to suggestions on what to do, where to go, that kind of thing. That's what I was looking for on this." She held her PaDD up and wiggled it a bit, twisting back and forth, before handing it over to Vanya. Taking another breath, she added, "Not just stuff you might think I'd like. Stuff you might enjoy too. Assuming of course you don't have something you'd rather do for the next couple of days?" Cool cool, played it nice. Smooth even, she thought to herself, even though she was anything but with that offer.

Re: Day 26 [2100 hrs.] Nothing Ventured...

Reply #3 – August 20, 2020, 09:04:13 PM

[Lt. Vanya |Aboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]
attn @Brutus

As Nat commented that she looked relaxed Vanya nodded, pointing her feed, and stretching her toes.  “I try to be, I was in the Holodeck working on some Cybernetics ideas I’ve been batting around, and, although these pips mean I have to show some decorum even off duty, it doesn’t mean I can’t let a little more skin out from time to time.”

Vanya never understood why humanoids chose to wear clothes behind closed doors  Most civilised races had adequate indoor heating, and it was rarely necessary to denote hierarchies within households. 

Before she raised this point for the 20th time to Nat, she promised Vanya a walk in the grass later. 

“I’ll take you up on that.” She said  She noticed that something was on Nat’s mind, there was a hint of mischief and trepidation.  Finally she blurted out that the XO was kicking her off the ship 

Vnya felt anger well up inside her, a brief dark cloud crossing her face.  She wasn’t sure what Nat was accused of doing, but she was about ready to rip the XO’s spine out  If it turned out there was an alien parasite on it, good, if it didn’t eh, he was an idiot. 

“Nat.” she said.  “I’m fairly new to these parts, but everything that’s happened to you, you don’t deserve this.  If they put you off the ship, I’m….” 

Nat interrupted, explaining that the XO insisted she gets some shore leave.    Vanya felt relief, and respect for the XO.  Smiling she said.  “It’s not nonsense, after everything you’ve been through you do deserve this!  Oh Nat, it’s a shame its only two days!” 

The Romulan smile spread over Vanya’s face as Nat talked about sailing.  She had seldom seen her happier when she was stood on the deck of a boat, it represented a part of her home, and that was denied her under the current circumstances.  Vanya was deeply honoured to have been part of those days. 

“Sounds like a great idea!” she said    There was something in Nat’s tone, Vanya could sense it. 

Hesotiation?  But she loved boats.  No, it’s more like anxiety or nerves. 

Nat explained  that she didn’t want to spend all of the trip sailing.  Vanya was surprised at that, but supposed that sailing was quite intrinsic to her family.  Her heart sank for Nat and she passed her the pad, and Vanya caught up to what she was saying. 

“Wait, I thought you said you only had a couple of days leave, by the time I’ve helped you plan…” 

Vanya retraced the conversation “Wait?  You want me to come with?”  Vanya squeezed Nat’s hand excitedly and leapt up.  “I’d love to come with you!” she said, the one person who meant the most to her in the universe wanted to spend actual shore leave with her.  This was the next step of the relationship, the enormity started to dawn on Vanya. 

“I don’t mind what we do.” She said honestly, excitement rising in her voice  She looked down at the PADD “I mean maybe if they have a public zoo or nature…” she looked at the most recent page on the PADD and registered the information about bath houses. 

Wow, Nat, I had no idea you had this kind of thing in mind for us?” 

Re: Day 16 [2100 hrs.] Nothing Ventured...

Reply #4 – August 21, 2020, 02:10:37 AM

[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Aboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Number6 
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As Vanya lept up and squeezed at Nat's hands, the Ops Chief realized pretty swiftly that she had, in fact, been worrying over nothing. There was no denying that the Romulan's slightly delayed reaction, between what Nat was saying and what Vanya was hearing was entirely too cute. Doubly so, considering how fast Vanya could process things. That she'd caused the Android to miss a beat was a note of personal pride, and Nat tried hard not to grin. Not too much, anyway. A little was perfectly acceptable. 

Feeling more like a school girl and considerably less like a battle hardened Starfleet veteran (that she technically was, scary as that thought might be), the Martian was subjected to a series of digestive butterflies as she allowed the anxiety to bleed away and the excitement to take over. Decorum be damned, she was excited that Vanya was excited. There was probably an emotional feedback loop building between the two, but oh well. She pretended she had not noticed the concern in Vanya's tone, when she'd gone from adamantly getting ready to murder the First Officer to adamantly agreeing with him that Natalie needed a break. That was what friends were for after all. Or ...whatever they were becoming.

Not for the first time she remembered the playful way in which the other woman had brazenly teased and come on to her, right before what became known as the Battle of the Apertures. How she had taken impish delight in making Natalie blush, and how that seemed to be something of a past time for the energetic android. How in that moment Natalie had become very, very confused about a lot of things. Now, watching her friends excitement at the prospect of going along on the vacation with her (short a trip as it was), Natalie was at least a little less confused about somethings. She liked seeing her friend again. She liked seeing Vanya like this. If that meant she had to re-evaluate a few things ...well. She'd figure it out on the trip. Vanya may have been the one to make that first move, but it was Nat's turn to push the envelope a bit.

"Then it's settled. I'm absconding with you for a weekend away. I happen to have the ear of the folks that approve duty rosters, after all," she flashed a conspiratorial look at the scientist and rose up to her feet while the Romulan was looking at the PaDD she'd handed over. Being Second Officer had its perks, and she was pretty sure she could fix things with Vanya's boss to make sure the Assistant Chief could take a few days to accompany the ships Ops Chief on a...good will tour of their hosts planet. Yes, that would sound nice. 

Nat had just started to take a step down the path, intending to cross over into one of the grassy patches when she realized something had slipped her mind. Turning, she went up on her toes - being rather shorter than the Romulan Android  - and looked at what Vanya had on the PaDD. What Nat had been bemusedly flipping past and trying not to pass out from mild mortification over. What she had completely forgotten was on the damn thing in the wake of her friends arrival, and eventual assent to accompany her on leave. 

"Oh, hells bells," she managed in a little squeaky voice, color flooding her cheeks. The bath houses. The ones with the very hands on masseurs, according to the well written, detailed report. Her eyes nearly bugged out as she looked at the words on the screen and then back up at Vanya. "Er...well, That is..."

Stammering for a moment, she let out a huff and slumped her shoulders a bit. "I kind of forgot that was on there when I handed it over. I had been flipping through crew reports looking for ideas to do and that made me do a double take. I could barely believe that was a thing. Like...on Risa, or Orion, sure. But...I don't think of that," she gestured to the glowing review, "When I think of Klingon protectorates. Not that I think of Klingon Protectorates very often, mind you. Who outside the Empire really does after all? You figure its just a bunch of bars and fighting pits on any world the Klingon's oversee." The fine art of deflection. Besides, there was another concern there. 

"Setting aside the rather um...hands on service, I'd be worried about the baths. They wouldn't be like the pure filtered options you get on the Holodeck. At least, I don't think so? Like...I'm not saying ...no, exactly, but well, again, my track record with hands on  and ...oh, dam. Then again, its not like the Ocean is exactly a great place either now that I think of it." She stood there looking rather sheepish one foot on the path, one on the grass. She'd just talked herself right around in a circle, and gave an almighty shrug, followed by a soft laugh.

'See now why I said I needed some help sorting all this out? I can plan an EPS flow grid to reroute power in the middle of a firefight without breaking a sweat. But planning a long weekend? Not so much." She might be exasperated with herself, but she was smiling all the same.

Re: Day 16 [2100 hrs.] Nothing Ventured...

Reply #5 – August 21, 2020, 10:33:00 PM

[Lt. Vanya| Aboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Brutus

Vanya allowed herself a small smile as she rose up from the bench as Nat became flustered.    A small bit of payback following her little quip about being thrown off the ship.  She reached out and out a hand on her shoulder. 

“I’ve got a few ideas for dealing with any water.” Vanya admitted  It was true, Vanya hated sand, or any particulate matter.  If the stuff got into her pores, it would congeal around her diodes, and even make her lose balance.  There were a few options, that she had considered.    In the back of her android mind, she began to process which one would work better. 

Truth told, the android didn’t hadn’t had much interest in visiting the planet alone.  To the naked eye, she was of course a Romulan there was no love there between her creators and Klingons, and quite likely their protectorates.  Although in her first assignment, she had successfully defeated Klingon rebels and endeared herself to the current regime, to attempt to trade on that on the surface would risk exposing her identity and the Theurgy. 

However, with Nat, she wasn’t a lone Romulan, she was part of a couple. 

That raised a smile on her face again, she started to blush slightly. 

Nat and I  Me and Nat. 

Then something hit her  An idea, something that she would have never suggested before, or even considered, 

“Besides the sailing, do we need to plan anything?” for the Android to say this was true sacrelige.  “I mean, when I was created, I had my missions, every detail was planned out.  And yet, I didn’t start to feel like me, until I read things for myself, things that I chose.” 

She remembered those strange early days when her life was on the rails.   It was an odd time for her, to be so alone.  

“Then we sign up for Starfleet.  Let’s be honest, was being renegades from our own people really in our career plans?” she continued as she walked up to the shorter woman, realising that it wasn’t a brilliant idea to dwell on the recent past. 

"But then I look at the unplanned stuff.”  She said at last.  “A computer algorithm put you and I in the same room at the acadaemy.  Best thing that ever happened to me.  Chance brought the Cayuga into Theurgy’s path.  It put me on this ship, it brought me back to you  None of these things were planned.  They just happened,” 

She put her hand on Nat’s face searching her dark brown eyes.    She knew that even out of uniform she had to show some decorum with the ships second officer in a public place 

 “Lets grab a boat, keep the PADD with us and see where the mood takes us.”  

Re: Day 16 [2100 hrs.] Nothing Ventured...

Reply #6 – August 22, 2020, 12:23:22 AM

[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Aboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Number6 
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Yes, it was clear to Natalie that it didn't really matter what direction their relationship went, the Romulan woman was going to take an almost perverse amount of pleasure at getting under Nat's skin. There were worse prices to pay to have someone she trusted implicitly aboard the ship. Someone she could rely on, and more importantly, unburden herself around. She'd tried to forge that kind of friendship a time or two aboard, and while she had found the metaphorical safe havens, in the form of Sten Covington and Simon Tovarek, both men had one unfortunate aspect in common: they were dead. Not much help any more. Vanya...had history. And to be fair, it was somewhat hard to kill the android. 

Thrusting that morbid train of thought away, she rubbed the back of her neck and noted that Vanya had not agreed to the drop the notion of one of those crazy bath houses, so Nat was going to have to figure out pretty quick how she felt about that kind of hands on treatment. A massage was one thing. What those folks did was...well, intense was a solid word, she supposed. Invasive. Too much like that damn Jeffereies tube.

With another reminder to herself to stop thinking about bad things and start looking forward to the trip with Vanya, Natalie let herself smile. "You'll have to tell me about those ideas for water at some point. I'd be very curious to hear what you've come up with since the Academy." She noted the slightly greenish tinge to the other woman's cheeks and wondered for a small moment what thoughts had just run through her processors.

Tilting her head to one side, she listened as Vanya spoke up a bout planning. "Since I need to make sure the boat is lined up ahead of time yeah, that needs to be planned out. I suppose I don't have to plan say, a hotel room or anything like that..." she trailed off, the other woman continuing to elaborate. Nat let out a little snort when Vanya mentioned their enlistment in Starfleet, and where they were compared to where they thought they might be at the time. 

"Yea, no. Notorious space traitor pirates was not where I imagined myself  six years out from graduation. If anyone had that on their career bingo sheet, then I suppose I owe them an apology for stealing their square." She chuckled at the thought, having played in the ancient human game of chance more than once back on Mars. Before her death, her grandmother on her father's side of the family had much enjoyed the game. 

Vanya, the Ops Chief realized, was getting closer. And closer. Nat's eyes darted about from one side to the other, trying to see if anyone was paying the duo some undo attention. Her Romulan friend did stand out in a crowd, for a multitude of reasons. Being not quite a a foot taller than Natalie was one aspect of it. Vanya literally stood out, head and shoulders above many other women of most humanoid species. That tended to draw eyes. So did the ridges along her brow, which combined with her pointed ears screamed Romulan.

Don't forget shes stunning, Natalie reminded herself, not that she had needed such a reminder. The girl had struck her as beautiful when she'd walked into the dorm room a decade ago in a jump suit. That hadn't changed a lick in the intervening years since graduation. Natalie found herself curiously appreciating that a bit more than she had at the time, convinced as she was of where her interests lay. Which was neither here nor there. If someone was watching her she couldn't see it without twisting her head about. And Vanya was simply too captivating for Nat to look away. Just what are you ...oh.

Considering that the woman across from her could crush her skull with that one hand, the scientists touch was gentle and light. Warm, the flesh feeling as real as any other palm. Not that Natalie had much experience with this kind of contact either. A few men, here and there, had made passes since the Academy. Some had gotten further than others. One in particular. None's touch had been quite like this. Carefully she turned her cheek into the touch. A nuzzle, small, but it was there. A little gesture of reciprocation as she listened. 

Like Vanya, Nat tended to try and plan things out. This would be...well. Different. Taking a little steadying breath, the Martian reached up and curled her own hand around Vanya's, where it lay against her skin. She gave it a squeeze, not worried about hurting the Android, and ran her thumb over the Romulan's finger tips. "Okay," she murmured, throwing her usual detailed obsessive tendencies out the nearest airlock. "We'll get the boat booked and then just...see what catches our eyes.  There are a few different marina's we could work out of, on the Ibai Besi outlet. " 

There were a collection of seaside villas out near there, and some popular beaches. The sand might be murder on Vanya, but beyond that, the promenade at Ibai Besi was a staple tourist attraction among the crew. Finding a place if they didnt' stay afloat the entire time wouldn't be that hard. And there was plenty to look into around the rest of the main metropolitan center of Aldea Prime. Squeezing the hand again, Natalie gave a little tug, to pull it from her face. She laced her fingers in Vanya's and started to walk through the grass, trusting the taller girl would stroll along with her.

"We'll throw it all to the fates I suppose. But we do need to figure out a boat. And...if we're going down there as soon as I'm off shift tomorrow, I might need to pack before bed tonight. So would you." Nat just couldn't stop being practical, even if her pulse was still racing from something as simple as a hand on her cheek.

Re: Day 16 [2100 hrs.] Nothing Ventured...

Reply #7 – August 22, 2020, 08:53:59 PM

[Lt. Vanya| Aboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Brutus

As Nat’s hand squeezed hers Vanya understood the gesture for what it was.  Nat recognised Vanya’s thresholds, and this was an acknowledgement of that strength.  Nat had no wish to be the talking punching bag, but she was thrilled that Nat knew that she loved to physically feel things.    As Nat spoke about securing the boat.  Vanya smiled again.   

“All I ask is a sturdy ship and a cute Martian to have my back.”

As the android walked hand in hand with the Martian, more and more possibilities multiplied in her head.  In some ways, it felt like the most normal thing in the galaxy, in others it felt like new grounds to explore.    Together they were beginning a journey and she didn’t know the outcome, and for some of her subroutines, that was frightening.  So much was changing, and yet, their fingers were still interlocked.  As unusual as all of this was, she wondered if it was harder for Nat.  She needn’t have worried, already she was beginning to plan their “spontaneous” trip. 

Nat spoke to her about getting ready, packing before they go.  Vanya smirked mischievously, with her other hand she raised it in a salute against her ridged forehead. 

“Aye Aye Captain.” The grin grew again as she realised what she had said.  She stopped and turned to face Nat.  

“Wait, its Earth naval tradition that whoever is in charge of the vessel is the Captain right?  Do I need to call you Captain Stark when we’re on deck?”

Re: Day 16 [2100 hrs.] Nothing Ventured...

Reply #8 – August 22, 2020, 10:52:48 PM

[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Aboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Number6 
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Truthfully Nat wasn't much for big grand public displays of affection. In part because there was still a part of her that was the shy, socially awkward teen that had arrived at the gate of Starfleet Academy in the 2370s. And in part, she lacked experience, relative to her peers in...most aspects. But she also knew that Vanya thrived on the physical. Nat could hold hands with the Romulan android easily enough, when she knew it made her friend happy. That brought a smile to her face. Vanya's words, brought her eyebrows up into her hairline and then back down as she ducked her head and let her hips sway in to bump against the taller woman.

"Soooo, you're saying I'm cute, is that it? All right. I guess I've got your back,". She wasn't exactly well versed in flirting either, though she had a bit of recent experience, not that anything had come of it at the time. Nat certainly had no real, practical experience doing so with a woman. That was entirely new ground for her - even if it was her best friend, with whom she had shared a room for years at the Academy.  So she stumbled about but made the effort. For Vanya, she told herself. 

They strolled along in the grass, passing others whom milled about in the Arboretum. This place was never entirely empty. It was a popular destination around shift changes, and when officers took their breaks during the working hours. When Nat had covered the occasional night shift as bridge watch officer she would often come down here for her lunch, get something from the cafe and sit on one of the bench. So it was hardly as if the plotting officers were alone in the woods. Privacy was an illusion in the Arboretum. 

Vanya got cheeky with her and Natalie rolled her eyes at the little salute. But even as she did, she swept her thumb over the androids knuckles. Smart ass as she might be, that was simply endearing instead of annoying at the moment. Probably because she was riding the high of anticipation.  Do i even have anything to wear on a vacation? The thought was shoved out of the way as Vanya posed a very important question, and Nat did her best impression of one of Vanya's Vulcan cousins, arching an eyebrow up high. 

"Well, tossing rank aside, since I'd be the one booking the boat, and since I'm the one that knows how to sail it, I suppose that would make me the Captain. You don't have to call me that, you know," she chuckled, and looked over her shoulder. No one else was quite near enough to be a bother so she stepped in, went up on her tip toes and muttered, "When its just the two of us you can call me whatever you want,". The words themselves were mostly innocent. Whispered directly against the Romulan androids ear was....less so. A bit of heat colored her cheeks as she stood back and bobbed up onto her toes, then down onto her heels.

Then, without another word she started to walk again. Only this time she did so pulling Vanya's hand slightly in front of her, so that she could rest her shoulder against the other woman as the moved slowly about the place. Thus contented, she resumed making a myriad of mental lists for what she would need to take with her down to the planet, and what she'd need to see to getting booked ahead of time. After a moment, she mused aloud, "If we left right after the shift that would give us a few more hours of daylight down on the planet to get settled in. The sun doesn't set there till much later in the local evening. Something to consider."

Re: Day 16 [2100 hrs.] Nothing Ventured...

Reply #9 – August 23, 2020, 04:23:13 PM

[Lt. Vanya | Aboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]

attn @Brutus

She was pleased to see Nat start to relax when the Andorid softly teased her, it gave her particular excitement to know that she got her comment about her being cute.    A short while ago, Nat would have attempted to deflect things and stammer and ask the ground to swallow her up, but to hear her comment and play along, that was progress.  She felt her whisper into her ear, the flesh sending impulses that made the android shudder with anticipation  Already a list of names started, again, she would need to assess each one. 

“I might have told hold you to that one day.” She muttered. 

As Nat wrapped Vanya around her, a small smile crossed her lips once again she was lowering her defences.  Where these could lead to was really esciting for Vanya. 

Nat spoke about leaving at the end of the shift tomorrow.  Day, night, light dark, it didn’t matter to Vanya, as long as they were together  Still, it gave her plenty of time to prepare           

“Sounds good.” Vanya replied.  “I’m reviewing results of the spectral analysis on some of the Borg debris we have.  It will be out of the way by tomorrow”.  The next few hours would go by aching slow for the android, but,  she would take solace in the fact that their alone time was coming .  Feeling Nat’s shoulder against her was another sensation that both new, and right.    Already she had an idea of a few things to pack. 

“So how much room do these boats have?” Vanya asked. 

Re: Day 16 [2100 hrs.] Nothing Ventured...

Reply #10 – August 23, 2020, 05:39:15 PM

[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Aboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Number6 
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The Starfleet officer in Natalie was momentarily intrigued by what sort of possibilities Vanya might be able to pry out of the recovered Borg derbies that had been dragged along during their flight from the Azure Nebula through the collapsing transpwarp corridor and into the Aldean system. As a survivor of a battle with the Borg , she was torn between the impulses to learn everything the could to better themselves should they contact the fearsome threat once again, and the nightmare inducing fear that hidden nano-probes might suddenly spark to life and infect the crew. Study, or burn in plasma fire until there was no trace left.

Of course, Natalie had to remind herself that while she was the ships second officer, she was currently off duty. And she did not wish to ruin a perfectly good walk (that was already pushing her boundaries and comfort zone) with thoughts of The Borg. Or work. "I have every faith in your ability to wrap everything up, Lieutenant," Natalie attempted to make herself sound officious as possible, challenging an old professor. With mixed results. "Especially since it sounds like we're gone as soon as the shift is over," she added, sounding considerably more like herself. And maybe a bit nervous. 

The brunette pursed her lips for a moment and allowed herself to get caught up in matters more nautical than emotional. She didn't even realize that she had subconsciously snuggled in closer to Vanya and slowed her pace a bit as she thought out the answer to the question. "Oh, it can vary quite a bit. If it were just a quick skim around and back over the course of an hour or two, it'd be a pretty small affair. Enough room for two people to sit, stretch their legs, and make a few circuits. Maybe a double hulled catamaran, stretched fabric between the two being the only seat. Not even a proper deck really." She'd been on a few of those in her day. Nice for a short hop but not much else. 

"Some deep ocean sailing vessels can be as big as a runabout or bigger even. But I don't plan on going out that far from the coast. We'll want something in the middle. Top deck, bottom deck. bilge under that. Something closer to a type-9 shuttle I suppose. Room enough for a few bunks and a kitchen nook. Somewhere to sit outside of the sun, and plenty of room top deck to move about. Sometimes you get them with just a forward cabin for sleeping, sometimes they have two of them running along the sides. A lot of it will depend on what's available." She was rambling, but that didn't seem to be a problem. It was nice to talk about something that wasn't work related, with someone she trusted, and know what she was talking about. 

Nat had it on good authority that this was what people did when they weren't working. Instead of holing up in their quarters with a technical manual and a cup of coffee. She supposed that she could see the appeal with the right kind of company. Unlike many of the other social encounters she'd had lately, which had been her forcing herself to be out there, and available to others, as Second Officer, this was...shockingly normal. This was Vanya for Christs-sake. It was...easy to be there in that moment. As long as she didn't get caught up in her head about the fact that she was attracted to her friend, and how every different that was compared to anything else she'd attempted over the years. 

"We'll go looking for something with a good cabin set up, probably single sail. Motor backup would be smart I suppose. Something comfortable to sleep in, sail in, and lounge about on basically. Er..." She looked up a bit sheepish now, "I got to rambling there, didn't I?"

Re: Day 16 [2100 hrs.] Nothing Ventured...

Reply #11 – August 23, 2020, 09:18:52 PM

[Lieutenant Vanya | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] attn @Brutus

As Nat commented on the Borg situation, Vanya was sure that she could pick up the hint of the cadence of one of the professors from the Academy.    Truth be told, nothing new or exciting had been gleamed from the debris  Still, once she could put this to bed, she was ready for a weekend of fun. 

And so, apparently was Nat.  She began to rattle of information  about boats  Although she was rambling – one of her habits when she was uncomfortable, she nevertheless endeared herself to Vanya.  The Boarting stuff was a passion that she hid behind as a shield.  When Nat knew how to use her passions to put her best foot forward, then she would be formidable.  She mentioned beds and bunks.  Again, Vanya considered the possibilities.  She saw the sheepish look on her friends face  Vanya couldn’t help herself, she took both of Nats hand in hers and kissed them.  Her lips against her fingers, she detected the thumping of a pulse. Life   

“So what if you’re rambling?” Vanya said with a twinkle in her android eyes. “You’re cute when you do so.” 

Already the list of things that she needed for the trip was pretty much complete in her head.    She took her hands back down and held onto one as they continued to walk

“Anything you need me to bring?” she asked  “I mean, I guess I have to go to the replicator since I only have Starfleet uniforms in my closet at the moment.  Even I can’t start the trip without clothes.  As for finishing it…”

She let the rest of the thought hang in the air unsaid. 

Re: Day 16 [2100 hrs.] Nothing Ventured...

Reply #12 – August 23, 2020, 10:50:07 PM

[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Aboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Number6 
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It was as if Vanya had figured out the off switch for Natalie's brain. The Martian girl did not quite know where her companion was going when she slid around to grasp both of her hands in the other woman's firm grip. She certainly had not expected Vanay to raise them up while bending down to place a gentle kiss against them. Nat made a little 'meep' noise, eyes going wide. The lips were soft, and light, and warm and inviting and did she mention soft? Much, much softer than any others she had happened to feel against her skin. Again, she was not well versed in such matters, but she had some passing experience and this was...

Wonderful.

Natalie was a disaster in the making as she felt heat working its way across her skin, blossoming at her cheeks, sweeping up to the tips of her ears, and washing down the back of her neck. She bit her lip, not entirely sure what to say in response to what Vanya had told her. Already having established that cute was a good thing, it still made the Ops Chief squirm, and feel younger and terribly more inexperienced than she really was. Swallowing quietly, she gave a little nod, and squeezed tightly on the Romulan's hands. Dammit Natalie, you're a Department Head, not a schoolgirl. Get a hold of yourself , woman.

Thus rebuffed by her own self conscious, she drew in a slow breath and let it out in a little sigh, eyes fluttering for a moment before focusing back on her friend. Another little nod of agreement, and they strode off again, nice and slow. Nat could feel eyes on her, but whenever she glanced over her shoulder she couldn't pick out anyone actively watching her. Likely as not it was a case of an over active imagination (and why not?). However, her left arm was now drawn down in front of her body, toward her right hip, and she had laced the fingers of both hands around Vanya's, holding on tightly. 

It would have been a small gesture for someone else. It was akin to jumping up and down and screaming for Natalie. Shyness she hadn't felt since the Academy had reasserted itself as she moved along with her friend, and listened, pursing her lips slightly. The implications took a moment to settle and the blushing brunette resigned herself to having her face match her flannel. 

"I would suggest remembering to wear something when you beam back up to the ship. We don't want to give any of my poor transporter chiefs an unexpected heart attack. Things' aren't quite as bad as when we first arrived but they are some of the busiest officers aboard, and I still take half a shift every week in Transporter room 1 to give them a chance to rotate down for some R&R" In truth she had begged, borrowed and outright stolen every officer with any sort of transporter experience and pressed them into duty, with all the movement of personnel and material back and forth with the dockyard and the planet below.

"We will both need local costumes for when we beam down," she continued, trying to be serious. "Tends toward lots of flowing garments with high collars that hang surprisingly loose. Most of the beaches require some covering as well. And I will need to replicate plenty of sun screen. I still burn more than tan." As with most Martian's, having grown up further away from her home systems sun, Natalie tended to have a rather pale complexion when compared to natives of her species homeworld. She burnt very easily when exposed to sunlight for long hours, and whie the Aldean sun was not Sol, it was fairly intense. 

"You know, I don't think this really came up at the academy, but do you use sunscreen?" She ran her thumb over Vanya's knuckles again as she asked. A point of curiosity that led her mind down a path that ended up causing heat in her face all over again. After all, Natalie was well aware that her friend had a proclivity toward nudity when given the option. Sunbathing on the deck of a boat was a real possibility, and she worried that her friend might burn herself. And that she might die of blushing. It wasn't as if she had not seen Vanya naked before. She had, after all, worked on the woman many times, as something of a personal mechanic, and shared a sonic shower after one particularly unpleasant dip in a muddy pond for the freshman Romulan cadet. 

But this would be different. She swallowed slightly, unsure of how she should deal with that realization, and the very real anticipation that she felt. Something she had not, to date, felt with another woman. 

Oh, boy.

Swallowing, in a softer voice, she noted, "We can always go shopping for some local made garments once we're planet side as well, if you don't want to pack a lot ahead of time." She'd heard good things about the promenade planet side near the beaches, and the marina they would be picking up any boat from.

Re: Day 16 [2100 hrs.] Nothing Ventured...

Reply #13 – August 23, 2020, 11:54:18 PM

[Lt. Vanya | Aboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]

Vanya chuckled to herself as Nat spoke about the way that she took on half a shift in the transporter room to give her people downtime.  Transporter duty wasn’t  the most glamorous job.  She imagined it was long periods of dullness, punctuated with brief periods of manicness as crew came and went on their missions.  On Theurgy she had come to learn that the missions had mixed results at best. 

“Next time you’re on transporter shift, I’ll have to pop around.  I’m sure that there is a transporter experiment or two I can think of.”  She committed the rough patterns of the Aledean casual wear to her memory.  It looked kind of strange to her to wear such flowing garments, but she was willing to give them a try.  Depending on how the next several hours progressed, they may serve as reminders of her new life.   

She smirked as Nat mentioned sunscreen.  “Yes, my skin burns.” She admitted.  
  She liked having someone to tell these small secrets to, a soul to confide in.    Increasingly the enthuisatic curiosity she had encountered at the academy had become sterile scientific interest.   With Nat, it felt like she was asking about her body as a person, and not the machine she happened to be.  “Quite easily in fact  It was deemed necessary in order to give me an excuse to make myself scarce during infiltration missions.  It heals fairly quickly, and I am spared the carcinogenic effects of some types of solar radiation.” At this point in similar conventions she would surely curse her creators for programming her to feel pain.  but to be with Nat here now, their fingers interlocked, the taste of her fingers still on her lips, it was worth feeling irritation, even pain to feel the pleasure. “For once you’ll be helping get gunk on me instead of getting it off.”

Nat mentioned shopping at clothes stores, shopping was such an odd concept Vanya, much like indoor clothing.  Replicators could produce pretty much most things that an individual would want, why barter for them on the surface in exchange for crude tokens. 

On the other hand, these shops gave her the opportunity for people watching, something they had both been through, travelling to points around earth during their downtime at the Academy. 

“I’ll get enough of the currency, but I’ll hit the replicator too.”

Yes, this was going to be fun.   

- FIN