Winter Walks

Posted on Tue Apr 18th, 2023 @ 5:54pm by Petty Officer, 3rd Class Callistus 'CJ' Jackson & Lieutenant Avira zh'Kenarh M.D.
Edited on on Tue Apr 18th, 2023 @ 5:54pm

Mission: Sojurn
Location: Relea
Timeline: Day 333
2896 words - 5.8 OF Standard Post Measure

As the crew split up, heading in different directions to do their own thing for a few hours, CJ was left, looking out what he could only class as an observation lounge staring at the ocean in front of him. Most of the crew has gone up to see what it was like above but CJ had always had an affinity for the ocean. He could not help but just want to stand there and just look at everything, it was an overload of colour and sensations. He glanced over seeing movement to his left not at all expecting to see one of his crew mates still standing there looking just as lost as he was.

“I thought you would have gone up like the others.” He said kindly before forgetting his place. “Ma'am…” he added quietly.

"Sorry, I didn't expect anyone out here. If you want to be alone I'll leave you to it." Avira looked around to find another vista but he was definitely taking up the best spot. She looked around the gentle waves lapping at the cold beaches. Back on Andor she was far away from the sea, but it still reminded her of home. The breeze, the cold, the mountains on the horizon. "It's beautiful though, isn't it?"

"Not at all, Doctor... Come and join me." CJ moved a few paces to the left to allow her to have the same view as him. It was amazing and something he had missed. The Babel world had been nice but there had not been enough exploring for him. "I had thought to go back down to where the quarters are under the surface but I wanted the best of both worlds so I stayed here. The other crew have all wandered off why have you not Doctor?" he gently enquired.

There weren't a great many good explanations for that, it came down to a sense of duty. "As the chief medical officer I feel it's my duty to be easily found in case of emergency." As she looked out over the stunning vista she knew the truth was much closer to 'this is as close to home as I'm ever going to get in my lifetime'. There was fear that if she went exploring too much she'd not want to leave. So being in the last place people knew she was was as good am excuse as any. "Is this similar to where you're from on Earth?" She had spent most of her time on Earth in San Francisco, which was about as different from Andor as things got.

CJ slowly reached inside his uniform and indicated communicator. She would be more than contactable but he understood what she meant. The sense of duty was strong in him too but everyone else who he was meant to be protecting had already gone off. “Not in the sense of the ice and snow but the he ocean sure. What about Andor? I have only seen pictures but this must be very similar?” He asked broaching the subject that she might be home sick. It would be something that a lot of people he imagined would be feeling once they got down there.

"This is what Andor strives to be on its most beautiful days." Avira was never one to wax poetic about anything, but it was clear that being on the surface of this planet was affecting her much more than she'd ever admit to anyone. "It's mostly the air though. The cold smell of freshly fallen snow." She took in a deep breath, her antennae stretching out to their full length as she did so. "The ship's environmental controls can never seem to get that quite right."

CJ smile as he turned to his side leaning against the class watching the doctor. He had never seen her antennae stretch like that and it was all he could do to not stare so looked outside again. “No and cold snowy air is not achievable in hydroponics which is where I go for fresh air and a touch of home.” He decided with a bit of a shrug. It was not something that was achievable in outer space.

"I planned on taking a short stroll outside, if there was a clear overview of the snow drifts and glaciers." Avira peered down from their vantage points. She wasn't quite sure if all of the ground below was solid and with the thick layer of snow it would be difficult to tell anyway. She didn't want to end up falling down a crevice and break something, or worse. Although there were definitely worse ways to go. Somehow it triggered a mental note that she still wanted to ask Beth to save some of her blood should anything happen to her, to bring back to the caves on Andor. A morbid thought that she didn't want to dwell on for too long. "Have you ever snow surfed?"

“I am afraid not. But I would enjoy a stroll Doctor if you are wanting some company?” The brig officer offered gently thinking that maybe the doctor needed something more than simple staring at the snow.

Avira shrugged a bit at the offer, "I suppose there's no harm in a short stroll." She then looked over at the man all of her colleagues referred to as CJ. "Although I suppose you'd want to dress a bit warmer than that." She wondered how well adjusted the aliens were that lived here. Perhaps this wasn't even their original home planets, after all they were said to be part of a solar system spanning civilisation. "I'm sure they'll have something appropriately warm, I wouldn't want to have to treat you for frostbite."

The woman looked down at his uniform and shrugged. He thought it would have been appropriate but it seemed that the doctor was concerned for him and the added work load he would make. “Do not disappear without me Ma’am.” He promised waggling a finger at her. “I know you are eager Doctor to get out there.” He added disappearing off to find where they were stashing extra equipment and items.

"I'll be right here." Avira took a moment to adjust her stance to be a bit more comfortable and clearly signal that she wasn't going anywhere as she saw the man disappear down a corridor.

The man returned ten minutes later with a thicker uniform jacket on and one for her. “Was not sure if you would require one but thought it might be better if I brought one just incase.” The brig officer offered.

"Appreciated." Avira took the uniform jacket and put it on, but didn't bother zipping up. The ship was always set to a comfortable temperature for the humans, she was just happy it wasn't set to Vulcan standards. "Any idea of where we're headed?" She put her hands in the uniform jacket's pockets and looked back to the vista they were looking at out of the window.

“Shall we say that building there.” He pointed to a circular building across from them. It looked like it would be nice walk and the building from that distant looked welcoming from the outside.

With a short nod Avira agreed with the proposed destination of their little trek. "Lead the way." She waited for CJ to start moving before falling in step with him. "Have you always been the adventurous type?" it seemed like a safe enough subject to broach, he did join the first organisation to expand humanity's reach into the stars after all, she figured it required at least a certain sense of adventure.

The man smiled and stepped out into the ante chamber taking in everything around them from the three eyes red man to the woman who had an impossible number of hands. The planet just had so much to offer them all. It would be hard to leave for some people he expected when they had things so good there with no ship or interpersonal issues. “I try to be. My dad was a Mountie so we always were outdoors and enjoying what Canada had to offer. What about you are Andorian’s adventurous?” He had only ever met Andorian’s on war ships before he had met her.

Avira had ran from the countryside to join the military, and then when she returned had stayed away from everything that reminded her of her youth. It was one of the reasons she returned to duty. "Well, I did join an exchange programme." She gave a bit of a smile. As the doors parted and let in the cold wind from outside the two of them stepped outside. The path was well maintained and cleared of snow. The Andorian doctor's antennae darted back and forth. It was so familiar but so foreign. "As a species I think we can be a bit more conservative than Humans, though obviously less so than Vulcans." She shrugged a bit, "Though I guess that's mostly based on propaganda."

CJ stopped dumbstruck for a moment having forgotten that she was not Earth Starfleet personnel but someone who was even more lost than the humans onboard. “I had forgotten Ma'am.” He admitted with a shrug putting his hands deep into his pockets. “I’ve met Darru and it is very much not propaganda. I was on the receiving end of his genetic analysis talk.” He said grinning a bit at that memory. Nothing had come of it but it had been amusing.

The genetic sequencing, another one of those things that kept Avira up in the early hours of the morning. "I was saved that particular bit of Vulcan awkwardness. Andorians are notoriously finicky regarding bonds." She had heard the weirdest theories thrown at her when she was on Earth, and she had done little to dissuade them. There were some things that she felt wasn't up to her to reveal about her species. Besides her family wasn't a shining example of what made the bonds work for their society anyway.

“It was not so much awkward just awkward to know the man was practically making a dating service and did not seem to realise it was that.” He chucked slightly. “Bonds are important even finicky ones.” He had heard the rumours but did not want to even consider how different it would be for other species. It was bad enough for humans.

"To him it was a logical approach to a practical issue." Avira couldn't really fault him for that. It was just that Humans and Andorians alike were never going to accept that particular approach to guaranteeing the return to Earth. So far the medical officers on the ship had made sure that there was enough preventative medication available for them not to have to worry about creating a neonatal care ward just yet. "Besides he also didn't take into account that sometimes the best thing to happen is for a bond to be cut." She had wished her parent's union had been dissolved decades ago.

“Or many other issues. Like sexuality or … you know people not wanting children.” Even on a ship like Atlantis was eventually going to turn into some people would not want children which was a perfectly good life choice and with an imbalance between men and women it was not always going to happen for everyone.

"But that would be... illogical." Avira her voice was monotone as she did her best to raise one of her eyebrows as Vulcans seemed very fond of doing. She'd had very few conversations about these things with Vulcans but it seemed that they viewed sex as a 'necessary evil' required to perpetuate the species and planned for specific times to procreate. This was the only function. All the other things within a bond, kinship, intimacy, was either regarded as pointless or covered through other means. The Andorian shrugged, "I'll just have to accept the fact that I won't be procreating." She never really thought she would anyway but the situation they were in made it absolutely impossible.

"What makes you think that Ma'am?" He wondered quietly. It was an easy question to grab onto when discussing the Vulcan could turn mean and whilst the man had been someone of a pain in the rear he was a good man. His thoughts and quest was a logical one even if done foolishly.

Avira's antennae curled forward a bit, to match the frown that was forming on her face. "Have you seen any other Andorians on the ship?" besides, there was the fact that she had a deadly genetic disorder she didn't want to pass along to her offspring, especially if they were away from Andor with no proper medical aide to help them. "Like I said, finicky." She stopped the trek and straightened her back, looking around the landscape they had wandered into. "Rolling snow dunes. Reminds me of the Northern Wastes."

CJ shrugged. “Just because there are not other Andorian’s does not mean it is impossible ma'am is all I am saying. You never know what will happen.” He pointed out before he took the chance to change the subject before he got told to mind his business if not something more. “Certainly not something I have experienced before.” He adhered watching the snow pass them by in soft flurries.

However much the doctor would've wanted to correct the man next to her the vista they were currently enjoying was too much of a sight for her to want to focus on anything else. She crossed her arms in front of herself and stoically peered over the white waves in front of them. It was all she could do for keeping her emotions in check and not break down in a bout of homesickness. "You're wrong. But I appreciate the sentiment."

He did not mind being wrong but he hated how sure she sounded. "Always Sir." The security officer commented on knowing to not open his mouth anymore. He was fearing he was treading a very thin line between what was right and what was wrong. He was really not at all sure how to help the doctor but he at least hoped she would if he could like anyone onboard.

"Something I've wondered for a long time, why do Humans insist on using male indications for officers outranking them?" Avira looked to the side as the 'sir' pulled her back to the current reality of her life. "In Andorian culture we there are at least four distinct genders used, depending on bond and relationship they can all result in varying indicators. Humans simply go 'sir', regardless of gender. Why is that?"

“Um… I apologise. It is a habit I have from working so many male Officer.” CJ huddled further into his coat wishing the floor would swollow him up then and there. “What form of indication would you prefer for me to use? He asked leaving it up to her to decide. It was easier to leave it to her to decide and he would remember for next time.

Avira shook her head a bit, "I was just wondering if it was a cultural thing." She didn't have any strong preferences on the matter but it struck her as odd that their species were so one-sided with the whole thing. "I think the closest equivalent in Standard would be ma'am. But please, Doctor Avira is also fine." When she first came onboard the whole awkward trying to explain how to properly pronounce her name was shortened by providing an easy-to-pronounce and remember the version of her given name.

CJ had enough grace to nod and look suitably embarrassed over the whole thing to just nod and accept what she was saying. “ Doctor Avira it is. So Doctor Avira where are we wandering too now or would you like to walk back?” He asked not able to really see properly now that the snowstorm was getting thicker.

"Perhaps it's best to return before we get turned around in this blizzard." Avira had once spent two days trying to track her way back to base camp through a blizzard during boot camp. It was a standard exercise in the Guard, and all in all, she had been able to pass the minimum requirements. Although she had suspected that this bar was basically 'don't lose any extremities'. "It's never good to get lost in an alien snowstorm."

"Not good to get lost in any snowstorm." The brig officer pointed out turning around but making sure he kept the woman in sight so that if they were lost they were at least lost together. It seemed easier to be lost with someone who knew the ice and snow than someone who did not but also better because she was medical. He had a better chance. "I can see building lights." He pointed to her right showing where the dim glow of lights were coming from.

Some days Avira wondered if it wouldn't be better if she did get lost in a snowstorm. She sighed a bit, something that was muffled by the shawl draped around her neck. "Back to civilisation." She looked back over her shoulder for one last glance of the snow dunes before properly setting out to return to the warmth and protection of the domed city.