#Laethea

[lyssacampbell-blog]

Personal Log: Laethea

I almost didn’t go.  No, really. I almost didn’t go on shore leave at all. Everyone on the ship had these stories of perfect beaches and lavish meals and a kilometers long list of other indulgences that would put most other vacation destinations to shame.   After the accident it all seemed too decadent, too extravagant. I looked at spas, beachfront huts, and hiking trails but nothing appealed. I just wanted simple. Wholesome. Real.

The first day I just sat in a busy cafe for a few hours. A few Laetheans stopped and chatted but for most of the afternoon and evening I watched life go by. I turned my communicator off for a while and experienced Laethea as it really is: the sights and the smells and the sounds. With the universal translator off, I heard the copious number of fricatives in their language and saw them mirrored in the soft rolls of their hands and fingers Laetheans use to punctuate their speech. I learned the rhythms of their conversation. I heard the dialects of the people raised in different parts of this world. I saw how the muscles of their neck constrict and twist to produce a low-pitched, heady sob of utter despair I initially mistook for laughter.

It was achingly familiar but also thrilling and new. I remembered that this is what I joined starfleet to do. To be in these places. To hear these sounds. To meet these people.

The next day I beamed into the smallest city we were authorized to visit. From there I walked until I reached a nearby village named Troila. An old farming community with a proud heritage that doesn’t appear on any visitor’s guide or tourist’s map, Troila is a central hub for a rural region that still feeds ¼ of the cities on the continent. I found a bench on the edge of the old market square and sat down to wait.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an outsider sitting alone, in a public space, in a small town, must be chatted up by an older member of the community.

Renata sat down beside me less than two hours after I arrived. 

We talked amiably for about 20 minutes or so before she turned to me and said, “A member of my family has lived in Troila for 17 generations. 3 of my children live here, and 5 of my grandchildren, and one great grand-child too. This is my home, but I’m not a fool. There are far more beautiful and exciting places on Laethea to visit. Why did you come here?”

I know better than to lie to a matriarch, so I told her the truth. “A few days ago I nearly killed two of the highest ranking people on my ship in an accident. Two of my friends. I came here because I don’t want to be dazzled by a place everyone visits. I want to visit a place where people live.”

Renata appraised me for a few long moments then asked, “Your ship mates are recovering well?”

“Yes.”

“Good, good” she replied and started to get up, pulling me up beside her. “I’m glad you told me the truth. Now we can go see my granddaughters. Their teacher told them that off worlders never visit Trolia and I’m delighted to be able to prove him wrong.” We had crossed half of the market square when Renata shouted ahead to the young man who had been repairing the wall on the other side of the square. “Dejan! I need you to escort me and my new friend Lyssa to your sister’s house.”

Dejan protested, of course.  He pointed out that he was currently working. That the mortar would dry if he left.  That his boss could fire him if he left. None of it did him any good. Growing desperate, he made one last ditch effort to continue his work. “Why do you need me to come along Grandma? You’re as clever as they come and can spot a liar at 20 paces. I doubt she’s a trained combat specialist…”

“Well actually,” I interjected, “I have been getting some lessons in hand-to-hand combat recently. Do you fight? Maybe we could spar later?”

Dejan gaped. Renata doubled over laughing and I grinned.

From that moment on, I was family.

Renata’s granddaughters Leanna and Kierae were young - equivalent to terrans at six or eight years old - and beside themselves with glee once Renata introduced me. They asked me question after question on the way to Renata’s house. Tripping over their own tongues (and the pavement) in their haste.

When we arrived they gave me a tour of their grandmother’s house. It bordered the fields and paddies her family had cultivated for generations and was built in the traditional style of the region. It had as many open air rooms as indoor ones and everything was lush and green.

Slowly, more and more family members arrived. The girls were periodically sent on errands to give others a chance to speak and I got drawn into the dinner preparations. One son took me out into the paddy to harvest some grain. One of Dejan’s older sisters belted an apron around me and set me to work chopping greens. I held Renata’s beloved great grandson while his father boiled and stirred and ladled.

At dinner we spoke of everything and nothing. How birthdays are celebrated. Leanna’s school project. The time I tried to keep a squirrel as a secret pet. The history of Laethea. How I got brown hair.

Though I helped prepare dinner, I was strictly forbidden to help clean up afterwards. Instead Leanna and Kierae took me to their secret hideout where they asked me to tell them story after story. 

They liked the ones about heros best. So I told them about Beowulf and the time Captain Janeway defeated fear itself and the Laurel crowns that Greeks and Romans gave their best generals to mark their victories.

Leanna fell asleep with her head resting on my shoulder; Kierae with her head in my lap. There was no way to move without waking them so I stopped speaking and waited. I know Dejan was eavesdropping on story time, because almost as soon as I trailed off, he peeked around the corner and, seeing my predicament, returned a few minutes later with their parents who carried them home to bed.

Once the girls were out of earshot, Dejan asked me to tell him more about the laurel crowns. He asked how big the leaves were, about their coloring. I asked him why he was so curious.

“Leanna and Kierae really liked that part of your stories,” he replied.  “Leanna gets bullied a lot and I thought maybe having a crown like a victorious general would make her feel strong. I want to try and make one for each of them.”

So that’s what we did.

Renata poured us drinks when we sat down with Dejan’s clay. The drink was thick, syrupy stuff though lightly sweet and I sipped it slowly. The clay was surprisingly light but very stiff and it took a lot of kneading to make it pliant enough to shape. Gods are Dejan’s hands strong. It took him almost no time at all to knead in a deep green dye and when he handed the clay back to me so I could make the first leaf it bent easily under my touch.

Dejan’s family… well familied around us as we sculpted laurel leaves at one end of his grandmother’s kitchen table. As we finished each leaf, we attached it to one of the two wire frames, intermixing his leaves and mine. The first time a lock of my hair fell across my face, I brushed it aside without thinking and left a smudge of clay across my forehead. The second time, Dejan’s hand tucked the errant strand behind my ear, leaving a second streak of green along my cheekbone, over the shell of my ear, and into my hair.

Everyone else had gone to bed by the time we finished. I looked up as I finished what I thought was the last, tiny leaf for the very tip of a wreath to see Dejan sculpting one more.

“Making an extra?” I asked.

“No,” he replied. “This one’s for you to take with you”

We’d talked about many things while we were sculpting, but the most interesting was Dejan’s house. He’d recently bought an old, run-down, stone farmhouse on the other side of his family’s farm.  It had been abandoned for years, but he was a trained mason so he bought it and poured his heart and soul and sweat into restoring it.

We set the finished wreaths by the stove to dry and then he lead me across the fields and around the paddies to his home. He showed me how the open air spaces were positioned on the east side of the house to keep the rain out and the way that the enclosed rooms were designed to retain their heat in the cooler months.

We hadn’t even finished the tour of the house before he asked me if I’d like to take a shower and get cleaned up. Confused, I insisted I only needed a sink to wash the clay off of my hands and face.  Then he showed me his shower.

As it turns out Dejan was right: I did need a shower. Urgently.

Eventually, we got back to touring his house. The tour ended in his bedroom, where a wall of windows faced away from the farm and looked out over wild, uncultivated woods. A flower garden below the widows perfumed the air so strongly it seemed denser. The stream that irrigated the farm, curved around the house and babbled up at us.

The word ‘otherworldly’ fails to capture how comfortable I felt in that space and ‘heavenly’ undermines how real and tangible it felt to lie there in that space with its sounds and smells and sensations.

Hundreds of years ago, farming in this region of Laethea was dangerous work so even extended families gathered together for breakfast each morning in case one of them did not return home that night. This, Dejan explained, was the reason he woke me at an unholy hour of the morning to return to Renata’s for breakfast.

On the plus side, I got to see the joy in Leanna and Kierae’s faces when Dejan showed them their laurel wreaths. They weren’t completely dry yet, but the girls could wear them after school. I got to snuggle Renata’s great grandson one more time too. As we prepared to leave the house I tied my scarf around Renata’s neck. She opened her mouth to object, but thought better of it when she saw the look on my face.

“Thank you,” I said, “for letting me be a part of your family.”

Fittingly enough only Dejan and Renata were still with me as we approached the market square in Troila. A few meters from the square itself Renata mumbled something about needing to visit a sick friend and hating goodbyes. She pulled me into a fierce embrace and then she was gone.

Dejan and I said our goodbyes as we walked over to the wall he’d been working on when I arrived yesterday.

“Well,” he said, “I guess this is it.”

“You really think I’d leave you empty handed?”

“What else could you possibly have to give? You didn’t really bring anything with you.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s exactly why this tradition exists,” I said, handing over a lock of my hair.

“Giving away your hair is traditional?”

“Giving your hair to lovers, yes. It was that or my panties and that’s a little crass - even for me”

Dejan laughed softly, “Leaving undergarments isn’t really your style. I hate to say this, but you better go before you’re late.”

“Ah - about that, “ I replied walking right up to that solid stone wall he’d been building.  “Do not tell your grandmother about this part.” I paused and thought for a moment. “Actually, do tell her about this part. She’ll probably love it. Remember last night…”

“Vividly…” Dejan interjected.

“When you asked why my knees were two different colors and I told you about how fell off the transporter pad and bruised one.” I pressed on.

“I do.”

“Well it’s the reason I’m going to make it back to Voyager on time. I have one more catchy Terran saying for you too.”

“Okay…”

“No pain. No gain.” And to accent the ‘pain’ part, I slammed my bruised knee hard into the solid stone wall Dejan built with his strong, skilled hands.

Dejan looked at me like I was nuts as I inhaled sharply and doubled over. He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me to him so I wasn’t standing on that leg. “Lyssa, what exactly..”

I held up a hand to silence him and tapped my combadge “Campbell to sickbay”

Sickbay here.  What seems to be the trouble ensign?

“I hurt my knee Doctor. Banged it on a wall. I don’t think it’ll carry me back to the designated beam out site.

Very well.  I’ll authorize a medical beam out, but I have to tell you ensign I’ve already put two other crewmen on report this morning for faking injuries in order to return to Voyager on time. I hope you do not join them.

“I won’t disappoint you Doctor.  I fell 3 days ago while fixing the transporters and my knee hasn’t been right since. It has been bothering me all morning. I probably shouldn’t have gone out at all.”

Dejan started to mutter, “All that kneeling you did last night..,” but I clamped a hand over his mouth.

Hmm. You have your authorization Ensign. Are you ready for transport?

“Give me just a second Doc.”  I removed my hand from Dejan’s mouth, and kissed him fiercely as I shifted my weight from him to the wall beside us. I murmured “Gotta go” against his lips and shoved him away from me - hard. Dejan stumbled back 2 steps, making space for a clean transport.  I tapped my badge, said “Engage Doctor.” and slammed my knee against the wall one more time for good measure before the familiar tingle of transport washed over me.

My knee gave out the moment I rematerialized in sickbay and my full weight landed on it. The Doctor was suitably impressed and almost apologetic.

During the bad times,  I’ve often heard one crewman on Voyager remind another that out here we are each other’s family. While I believe that’s true, it still doesn’t feel the same to me. Spending time with a real family; being adopted by them was...nourishing. Rejuvenating. Good for the soul. 

Well... family and - how does that saying go? - Sometimes the only way to deal with a problem and move on is a good hard… wall.

[voyagerscaptain]

Captain’s Personal Log

Last week Kes asked me when I had last updated my personal log. I couldn’t give her an answer. Then she asked me why I hadn’t sent any personal letters in the last data stream. Again, I couldn’t answer. We had a difficult discussion about it and she left me with a lot to mull over.

As I’ve recovered, I’ve immersed myself in my duties and avoided anything that required much introspection, reflection, and connection with others. I didn’t realize to what extent I had done this until Kes pointed it out to me. I think I needed to withdraw in order to conserve my emotional energy for myself while I healed, but Kes was worried that these new habits were beginning to affect my progress.

I think Kes is right to be concerned, so here I sit long past midnight struggling to write a personal log, something that used to be second nature to me. I’m determined to get this log finished, no matter how much I long to just crawl into bed and go to sleep and not reflect about my life.

Well, let’s see. Lieutenant Ayala was recently removed from duty for being drunk while on duty. Chakotay was furious with him---so was I---but Chakotay was also frustrated because Ayala wouldn’t talk to him or any of his other friends. I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t do anything about this at first, despite Tom Paris telling me he needed help. Kes was very right to be concerned about me---this is not how I normally react when a crewman is in need. I cringed when I thought about how charged and difficult a confrontation with Ayala was likely to be and just left the entire matter to Chakotay, but my talk with Kes left me determined to overcome my reticence and reach out to him. I invited him on a holodeck hike and got him to open up to me. Ayala learned during the last data stream that his son has been in a major accident and he doesn’t know whether he is alive or dead. In addition, his wife is not dealing well and there is nothing he can do to help. What a terrible situation for him, but at least he has admitted he needs help and I think he’ll be open to overtures from his friends now.

We recently had a delightful first contact, shore leave, and supply gathering mission with the people of Laethea. I pulled double shifts for most of our stay there in order to let the crew take shore leave, but I did get away with Chakotay for an overnight stay at a beautiful spa with hot springs.

I’m afraid I’ve neglected Chakotay as well, so this quick trip was much needed for our relationship. We had a good talk and ended up deciding to move in together, although Chakotay will keep his own quarters in case I need to use mine for ship’s business. I want to keep this new development private for as long as possible in order to avoid any problems. We just never know how the crew will react to things like this. We’ve only been living together for a few days, but I’m so happy. We share a home now, we’re together as much as possible, and we get to enjoy all of the little intimacies of a shared life. We’ve both suffered loss and heartbreak and it’s so wonderful that we can be together like this now.

Well, I managed to write a personal log. That wasn’t so bad. And now I’ll go crawl into bed with my Chakotay.

[bhavael-song]

[shore leave post] facing the past

Harry is seated on the bed of a nicely appointed room. As he hears the door open, he pushes the assorted brochures off of his lap and bounds towards the unsuspecting entrant. "Celes, remember that Thromboian stringed instrument I was telling you about? That I was regretting not getting? They have a similar one here, but it has recursive tuning abilities! I think I need it."

Not expecting him to move so quickly, Tal lets out a half-shriek when he catches her in a welcoming hug, one that soon turns to laughter at his enthusiasm.  “Then you should definitely get it.”  She squeezes him around the waist.  “Though, you’re going to start running out of storage space in your spare closet unless this one compacts itself into a PADD-sized box like the Natimastean harp you showed me last week.”

"I'll figure something out. I know I've got a lot.  It’s just that, music is important. Documenting the cultures we come across, finding similarities with our own," Harry says as the palms of his hands graze across her hips, "Finding common ground...it’s all a part of why I signed up for deep space missions."

Tal nods in agreement, ignoring the blush that heats her cheeks at his wandering hands.  “The differences can also be quite fascinating to learn.” She momentarily frowns, then it fades. “At least when we find friendly people like the ones here on Laethea.”

"So far, so good. How was your evening?"

“Good.  What time Mariah didn’t spend browsing for gifts for Swinn’s upcoming birthday, she spent taking photos of every type of plant that grows in the marketplace area.  The Laethean shop owners were all very amused.  She did have one man offer her some seeds for one of the flowers when she explained we have a hydroponics bay and like to get samples when we can.  It sort of looks like it could be related to the flower that Kes a—noticed by the lagoon.  Maybe it’s a domestic version of that flower.  Anyway, he’ll have the seeds by morning, he told us.”

"Plants, music, they're two sides of the same coping, aren't they? But Celes," Harry's hand glide up her arms to rest on her shoulders, drawing her gaze to his. "How are you?"

“I’m okay.”  Her slight frown returns, while her mind turns over why he would ask such a question.  “Do I....look like I’m not?”

"No...you look as beautiful as our last shore leave, in that enchanted forest, but I've also come to know you well enough to know that your still waters run deep. You can talk to me. About anything."

So he did see me flinch at dinner.  Damn it.  Resisting the urge to silently curse her brother for bringing up the past, she sighs quietly.  “I guess I do owe you an explanation about what happened earlier.  I wanted to tell you about it anyway but—I wasn’t sure how.”  She moves out of his arms, and towards the cloud-looking couch opposite the bed.  “We’d better sit down.  It’s....kind of a long story.”

Harry curses to himself and wished he'd been off the mark. How much more can she handle?  As he sat on the couch, he resists the urge to take her hand in his.

Sitting beside him, Tal instinctively reaches for his hand again, needing the warmth of his touch to ground her.  “It’s probably stupid but—it was the name of that person sitting behind us that startled me.”  She shrugs but ignores the sting of humiliation that normally would have stopped her from saying more.  “And my brother unthinkingly brought up in his last letter to me an encounter with someone I would have rather never thought about again.  Eloser Layan.  Layan was...well, we were almost engaged.”

He'd be lying if he said that the word hadn't surprised him.; but he'd been engaged himself. Libby had meant a great deal to Harry. But why had Celes never mentioned Layan to him before now? It didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was opening up to him. All he cared about was that she trusted him; with her heart and her past.

“We all grew up together, though he was Sovan’s friend exclusively when we were children.  It wasn’t until our ih’tanu that Layan paid any attention to me.  Any ih’tanu is a cause for celebration, of course.  But, for twins, it can become a big deal.  As we were the only twins in La’tai of our generation, almost everyone showed up for the gathering after the blessing at Temple—from our closest companions like Harti, Olata and our individual friends to total strangers from the far edges of the colony borders.  The adults often encourage the guests of honor to speak of their intentions for the future and their adult lives ahead.  Sovan just jumped right out and started talking; meanwhile, I couldn’t think of a thing.  So when Olata finally asked me and I found myself having to come up with something, I said I was thinking of applying for Starfleet.  And the minute I said it aloud, I realized that WAS what I wanted. The chance to learn and do more and perhaps bring something back to contribute to the community.”  

She shrugs and shakes her head.  “I don’t think anyone but Olata and my brother believed me.  Layan certainly didn’t.  We were together for nearly three years, and if Starfleet or the Federation was ever mentioned in our conversations, he would change the subject or get annoyed.  I was young and stupid enough to assume that, if I could actually get into the Academy, he’d accept it and support me.  I turned out to be wrong.  Very wrong.”

Harry nods as half a dozen remembered conversations gain greater clarity. Reassurances provided, confidences boosted. How can she believe in herself when someone she cared for so deeply didn't? He remains silent, his thumb rubbing over her knuckle, urging her to continue.

“The Academy scouts received permission from the governing council of Resda to visit the colonies and they arrived in La’tai the day before my seventeenth birthday.  I had the chance to speak with the sponsor, Commander Kuszewski, that morning and take the entrance exam.  Layan and I snuck out that night to be together.”  She blushes but ignores it.  “We’d been sneaking around like that for a couple months and I know Harti and Olata knew exactly what we were up to, but all Harti said was to be cautious.  I thought they meant getting boosters.  Looking back, I think they realized what type of person Layan really was and was trying to warn me.  But that night, he gave me the betrothal bracelet.  And I went to bed that night happy, because I had a message on my personal comm from Commander Kuszewski saying I’d passed the exam and could sign up for the next year’s classes.”  

“Harti, Olata and Sovan were surprised, but happy for me.  Layan....was another story.”  Her hand unconsciously tightens its grip slightly.  “First, he laughed, not believing me.  Then, he tried to tell me as his future wife, he wouldn’t allow it.  I kept pushing back at him, and that’s when he lost his temper.  He has always believed that the Federation’s lack of action meant they had just as much Bajoran blood on their hands as Cardassia did.”  Her voice shakes at the memory.  “He even accused me of betraying him, the memory of my parents, and my people. That’s when I slapped him and tried to walk away.  He in turn grabbed me by the hair and threw me on the ground.  For a minute, I feared his intent was rape but all he did was rip the bracelet off my arm, spit on me and storm out.  Sovan found me an hour later like that.”  Her vision blurs and she swipes at her eyes with her free hand. “He had it out with Layan the next evening and their friendship was over.  He didn’t let me wallow either and even asked the commander if there was a way I could get in to an earlier class so I could get away from Layan.  Luckily, there was a summer session and she was able to get me into it.  I was in San Francisco a month later.”

“I haven’t even had a real relationship since then.  There wasn’t anyone I felt I could trust that much....until you.”  Her eyes lifted to his.

It was a lot for Harry to take in. But looking in her eyes, all he knew what how much he needed Celes in his life. He pulls her small frame into his arms, and rested her head on his chest. He tries to keep his breathing low and even and strong even as his blood boils at the thought of anyone treating her so callously and cruelly.

Feeling the tension he was obviously trying to hold back, Tal tries to control her own breathing despite the few tears that escape.  Blinking them away, she rubs a hand along his arm.  “Say what you need to, Harry.  Don’t keep it in.”

"If I ever meet him, I'll kill him."  Feeling Celes startle with surprise, Harry bends down to meet her mouth with a sweet kiss. "That is, of course, unless you would prefer to do it yourself." Another kiss seals the lighter moment, and its lingering touch restores solemnity. "Celes, I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. No one deserves that treatment, especially from someone they love. But, your past has made you stronger than you realize. You don't see it, but I do, and so does Seven, and Billy, and Captain Janeway. I love you, Celes, not just the person you want the world to see, but the person that I am so honored you let me meet."

Harry's words stun Tal.  The declarations of love, she accepts and expects, but the idea that she possesses some great inner strength is a concept that's foreign to her.  She swallows back the automatic denial and instead hugs him tightly. "Thank you," she whispers after several moments of silence.  It seems inadequate to say just that but it's all she can think of.

His arms wrapped around her, Harry breathes her in. For so long, he was convinced he'd lost his chance, and now he regrets even more that he had let her go - that he let her think that maybe he didn't care - even if they had found their way back to each other. He understood so much more now. Releasing her from his arms, he lifts her chin to look in her eyes. "Celes, there is a lot in life we have zero control over. Like what astronomical anomaly will throw us off course, or what Neelix decides to serve for lunch. But I can tell you point blank, here and now, I will never do that to you. I can also tell you," Harry was suddenly aware that dinner was several hours in the past, "that I'm starving." Harry thumbs away a stray tear from Celes' face and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Dipping his lips to hers, he whispers, "are you hungry too?"

Tal realizes that the tension she’d been carrying in her shoulders since she’d received her letter from home has suddenly vanished.  Maybe forcing herself to face that particular boryhas of her past had been what she needed.  Leaning forward that last inch, she presses her lips to his in a quick, tender kiss, then leaned her forehead against his.  “I know you never would be so cruel.  And as to your question....”  Sneaking another quick kiss, she adds, “I wouldn’t say no to a second dessert before bed.”

"Tell you what, I'll load the file of local music I picked up and you grab some of that fruit over there." Harry stood and pulled Celes into his arms. With an easy spin, they dance across the room.

She laughs as he spins her round several times and finally has to beg him to stop when she grows dizzy. The next two hours is spent poring together over the pile of brochures while the soothing sounds of Laethean woodwinds provides a backdrop.  Eventually the soft music begins to make Tal drowsy, but she does her best not to show it for as long as possible.

He could see her eyelids getting heavy. When her head begins to droop, Harry knows what he has to do. Scooping her off the low couch, Celes' weary head came to rest on his shoulder. He places her gently on the bed and starts to go through the motions of removing her shoes and making her comfortable. When he looks back up at her, he sees her sleepy smile and can't resist crawling up her form and peppering kisses on her arm, shoulder, collarbone, and ear. "We should rest," Harry whispers.

“’kay,” Tal mumbles, lifting an arm in a clumsy gesture to tug at his sleeve, then patting beside her. “But only ‘f you do too....”

Kicking off his boots, Harry lifts his legs onto the bed and makes himself cozy against Celes' side. Winding his arm around her waist, he finds himself suddenly exhausted. "Nothing on this planet could tear me away."

[warpcorewarrior]

Private Message

@thebestparisyouhave 

I’m sorry it’s taken me all day to write to you, Flyboy. First day back so I’ve had a lot to catch up on down here. Since everyone was granted so much shore leave, it was pretty short handed and most of the supplies we collected from Laethea still need to be cataloged and stored. Then I had to take a few people away from that to get TJ out of the simulator. It froze up. Sorry, but it’s out of commission for a while until I can get it repaired. 

Anyway, I wanted to thank you for last night. I’m a little weirded out that you and the Doctor discussed my ability to have sex again. But... I guess you’re both forgiven since it led to dinner and a bath and that amazing massage and then... you showing me how much you love me. I know you would have liked to show me a few more times, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. You’re exhausting. 

Seriously though, Tom. That massage was really good. Like, professional good. My neck and shoulders and back feel so much better today. Have you been practicing or something? 

I love you, my masseuse. 

[ensignalang]

Personal Log: Shore Leave

--Computer, begin log--

*deep breath*

I didn’t know how much I needed that break. With all the extra hours I was working and the lack of letters in the datastream, I had a lot of stress built up. I would have had a panic attack if we hadn’t found Laethea when we did. 

Yeah, shore leaves are a little extra work for the security officers, what with checking to be sure there isn’t any smuggling and all souvenirs are declared, but we need the R&R just as much as everyone else! 

There were some beautiful cliffs and canyons on the planet. It’s been too long since I really got to hike anywhere. These were very different from the ones I grew up with, so much green everywhere! It’s a good thing too, because the canyons of home have too many memories.

And the food! Humans have figured out how to make some amazing food, and Talaxian cuisine is... interesting, but the Laetheans know how to cook. I almost wish we could have kidnapped a cook to replace Neelix! I know, too much of a good thing and such, but a girl can dream. 

They also had a nice little spa where I got a pretty cute manicure with TJ. You know, girl stuff. It won’t last long, but who cares? I have sparkly fingers for the next week.

TJ has seemed a little off since we left Laethea. I wonder if it has something to do with that pilot she met? Well, no matter what’s bugging her, I’ll be there. Farley is great for her, but there are some things that only a best friend can help with.

Anywho, it’s getting late, and I’d better turn in if I’m going to keep this high going as long as I can.

--Computer, end log and insert stardate--

[farleyjakobsdottir]

What's new in the lab?

I've been busy analysing Laethea's atmospheric properties. They are a highly advanced culture who achieved this level of development without ever using any fossil fuels or other means of combustion engines. This means that the aerosols found are all naturally occurring particles. I have also been comparing their climate as well as vegetation and physical properties with that of other planets. I want to determine which locations would resemble already known places to help the crew choose their preferred location for shore leave.

[meganonvoyager]

I heard Tom and BElanna had a romantic date yesterday. Guess you're out of the picture again .

Oh? I didn’t hear. I was busy. 

This implies that I was “in the picture” for a moment. That’s one step in the right direction. We have a long trip ahead of us and that relationship is doomed. My time will come back around again. But I’ll have some fun while I’m waiting. We need more planets like Laethea.

[juniortjenkins]

On the Bridge: While Lang Was Sleeping

Campbell: So… this dealing with a crisis together and bonding over start charts. Would you say that this experience has brought us closer together TJ?

Jenkins: Well, we haven’t murdered each other yet, so I’d say, yeah.

Campbell: Oh good, because as hard as I try to resist temptation, there is one question I have to ask you.

Jenkins: You’ve earned a question. Shoot.

Campbell: I think you may be able to help me out with something that has been on my mind since we left Laethea. You told Audrey that you “had some fun” with… Glynn, I think.

Jenkins: Yeeeeesssss….

Campbell: Did that fun by any chance have surprisingly good vibrations and last a lot longer than you expected?

Jenkins:  Oh. My. God. Lyssa. You either spent WAY too much time researching Laethean anatomy, or you got yourself some on that planet!!

Campbell: I’m an introvert, not a saint TJ. So that anatomical detail was standard issue?

Jenkins: Mmm hmm… pretty great wasn’t it?

Campbell: Did you happen to hear how I got back on board?

Jenkins: You were one of the ones transported back into sickbay, right?  

Campbell: I was the only one who didn’t get written up.

Jenkins: Why do you look so pleased about that?

Campbell: Well TJ, I had so much fun banging a mason, I had bang his wall to get home.

Jenkins: You didn’t?!

Campbell: For what it’s worth, the story I gave the doctor was true: I did fall and bang my knee when I was scrambling to fix the transporters after the accident. I did also walk up to the lovely wall Dejan was building when I met him and give that same knee three solid poundings too. It  buckled under me the moment I hit sickbay.

Jenkins: Ow, fuck. You’re kinda badass, aren’t you? Good way to get a direct transport though, I’ll give you that. 

Campbell: Badass? Huh. I believe the term I hear most often is conniving git, but I like your interpretation way better.  

Jenkins: Okay, okay. So back to your original question. Yes. We noticed, and rather quickly might I add, so we asked Glynn about it. Here’s the interesting part, apparently the Laethean women are exactly the opposite… they’re like our men. One and done.

Campbell: Oh really? I did not know that.  It does explain a few things though.Thanks for sharing that with me. I was starting to wonder if I really am a peerless goddess of unmatchable sexual fury.

Jenkins: Oh, I’m sure you were. I’m just glad you had fun. You know, when this whole bubble-thing is over… I think we should hang out more, Campbell. You’re a much better time than you let on.

Campbell: So are you TJ. Let’s get out of this so we can hang out together in other parts of the ship. On the subject of unmatchable fury. I can’t get any further without Audrey and it’s been about 2.5 hours.

Jenkins: Oh, please. Let me do the honors.

[susan-nicoletti-voyager-blog]

My dear mum, dad, Laura.

How are you? How was your vacation in Vysoke Tatry? Laura, how is your internship at Starfleet headquarter?

I`m fine, nothing new to report, really, just ordinary days in DQ.

We had nice planet side shore leave on Laethea. I was hiking and camping with Seven. It was great. One evening we visited their capital city and I have to say that planets like this one is the reason I love Starfleet. It was a beautiful eco system, the inhabitants were warm and friendly. We also got opportunity to get our Flyer and successfully test one security endhancement (dad, you would be amazed by that one!) But now we are again on our way to AQ, don't worry 😉

And yeah, all is alright with Seven, no need to make you worry, we work successfully on some private projects. Thanks, dad, for your last letter btw. I hope he gets the hints about his stolen patent for clocking device.

We will have first wedding here - my Chief Torres and our pilot Tom Paris are getting married next week, so all the ship speaks about that, yeah. And it`s the same day as Seven`s birthday, so I still don't know how to celebrate it with her, probably just private lunch and some cool present that I will hopefully come up with soon ;-)

And yeah, I have new personal best in running - finnaly 10km under 45mins! It's just a number I know, but I am proud.

So what about you? Tell me everything.

Love you, Susan

[lyssacampbell-blog]

Personal Log

Where did this last week go?  Let me explain... No, there is too much. Let me sum up. See what I did there?

So it was... 3 days after the stream, maybe 4 and I get a message from the Captain and the Commander. After reviewing the ships logs that the received in the data stream, Starfleet Command felt we needed a better way to get raw materials and foodstuffs back on board.  Apparently they’d like us to reduce our dependence on shuttle craft for routine supply missions due to safety concerns. Personally, I’m offended on behalf of every pilot on Voyager. But okay; sure. 

The Captain took a look at Starfleet’s guidance and raised concerns the annular confinement beam’s ability to keep the matter stream intact throughout transport. She really doesn’t miss a thing. Ever a practical man, the Commander had concerns about the time it takes to set up the interlock and how it might limit transport in case of a medical or other emergency.  It was a very yin and yang response.  No wonder they make such a fine command team. 

The Commander wanted a preliminary report in 48 hours and then a plan for holodeck simulations another four days later. Easy enough. Until Laethea showed up on sensors.  Now it’s straight to real world testing. Tomorrow. 

So, what did the team of crack scientists send us?  They sent us a cutting edge system interlock protocol. The mapping diagram alone made my head hurt. The protocol allows us to connect the cargo transporter with up-to two of the standard transporters. Gee Starfleet Command, why didn’t we think of that? Maybe because it is a logistical nightmare.  It took me 2 days of non-stop work to get the transporters linked and the pattern buffers aligned. The program they wrote to “flip” the transporters into those settings work well - they just didn’t get the initial configuration right.  Today’s breakthrough was getting the right timing in each transporter’s phase transition coils. The only thing that worked right out of the information from the data stream was the targeting and containment beam coordination. The personnel transporters take the lead and the cargo one just provides the added capacity. 

It’s excited stuff and it would be nice to have the option of getting the supplies up to the ship via transport instead of hauling it back out through caves but personally, I’m not sold. A single transporter can’t cut through radiation and ionic interference. Connecting the transporters will let them cut through the interference, but that doesn’t make them impervious to it. 

I’m going to catch a few hours of sleep and then go double check everything one more time before the test tomorrow. 

[lyssacampbell-blog]

Excerpts from Accident Report

To: @voyagerscaptain, @firstofficerchakotay-flute

CC: @warpcorewarrior

Cause of Rock Slide

During testing at site three, the trajectory of the transporters matter stream took it through a large, dense vein of mineral 46270 (Common name tbd). Not only does this mineral emit minuscule amounts of thoron radiation, it’s structure makes it very reactive. See attached image 2.5.3. During attempt 6 at this location, we experienced an uptick in ionic radiation which was interfering with transport. When we boosted the power to the confinement beam, the additional energy traveling through a large vein of mineral 46270 caused a sympathetic vibration. This resonance was detected on Voyager as it interfered with the transport. To compensate for this interference, I increased the power of the beam and further narrowed the matter stream. These adjustments had an adverse effect. They increased the vibrations in the mineral vein - in a smaller area - exceeding the minerals tolerances. The a section of the mineral shattered, separating a section of the cave ceiling about 4 meters wide, 3 meters long and about .75 meters thick (on average).

This mineral is unique to the delta quadrant and seldom seen in quantities as large as are found in this region of Laethea. Geology reports that they can identify any vein of mineral 46270 large enough to disrupt standard personal transport with short-range sensors. To avoid incidents like this in future, we recommend a level 3 scan which will require approximately 8 hours for each mining site.

[warpcorewarrior]

Working out and advice

Thank you so much. You have no idea how much I needed that. Just the emotional support feels awesome. 

No problem Farley. Sorry I couldn’t be more of an opponent for you. 

Nah, no worries. You were an awesome coach. 

Like you need coaching. Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Um… I don’t think I can be your sparring partner for a while. 

As in until you’re fully recovered? How much longer does the Doc think you’ll need? 

No, way longer than that. Kind of indefinitely. Uh... you’re probably not going to like this. I told Tom I would stop sparring with you, and Lyssa. It would eliminate one of my more risky activities. 

As in exercise? You sure he isn’t overdoing it? 

Well, maybe a little. But it does seem like a good idea now, you know, since we’re trying to get pregnant. 

Nah. I get it. Maybe we could do stuff sort of like today? 

Oh I still plan to work out. I’ll just do something that lets me come home with a few less bruises. 

No, I get it. You sometimes just gotta make some compromises I guess… 

Yes, you do. That’s part of being in a relationship. 

Yeah…. so I’ve heard. 

Okay lady, spill. What’s going on with TJ? 

I don’t know. I haven’t seen her all week. She keeps telling me she’s busy. Maybe I’m just being dumb... 

You’re not being dumb. Tom said she was late for her shift, too. That’s not like her. It all sounds a little strange, you two usually get together every day, don’t you? 

Yeah. More or less. I asked her if anything was wrong, and she hasn’t mentioned anything. But ever since we got back from that damn planet she’s been distant. 

Um… does it have anything to do with that guy. Glenn was it? 

Glynn… I think it might… We had a lot of fun but then he decided to ignore everything we talked about and asked TJ to stay on Laethea with him. That made her really uncomfortable. 

What?? You mean, stay. As in forever? No wonder she’s acting odd. How do you feel about all of this? 

The fact that Glynn turned out to be a nutjob? Not great. I think it really tainted the experience for TJ. 

But how do you feel about, I don’t know, the threat to your relationship? And how it’s clearly affecting her? 

I don’t think we’ve reached “threat to our relationship” level quite yet. But I also don’t know what to do. 

I guess my only advice is to simply be there for her, but don’t let her keep running away. Make sure she knows that you will listen and not judge her for whatever is going on inside her head. Trust me, that helps a lot. 

Oh B….. When did you become so wise? 

Haha! It’s actually from Tom. I’m usually the one pushing away and not wanting to talk about what’s going on with me. But he gently forces me to fess up to him and is accepting of my feelings, even if he disagrees. 

Well, tell him thank you from me. Guess he’s worth all the trouble he causes after all, huh? 

Yeah, he really is. And so is TJ. These pilots of ours, Farles, what are we going to do with them? 

I have no idea… But please let me know once you’ve figured it out.

[farleyjakobsdottir]

Hello, Farley, tell me, were you able to see the Ice part of the planet? When I saw it I immediately thought of you and your Iceland.

Hey there! Iceland really isn't all that icy. ;) I keep showing off pics in hopes to convince everyone. On Laethea I settled for some warm beaches and some time in the their Northern capital.

[lyssacampbell-blog]

Hi, how it`s going? Do you think the crew feels better after the shore leave?

Hey, 

I think that generally people are feeling better.  Voyager is our home, but a change of scenery is often welcome. Laethea was beautiful and we were welcomed there.  Spoiled even. And not kidnapped and tortured.

I do see some signs of a vacation hang over though, but it will pass.  It always does.