A Day At The Beach (Almost)

Posted on Thu Feb 27th, 2025 @ 5:49pm by Captain Malcom Llwyedd & Commander Siora Carberos & Lieutenant Commander Rhiana t'Aegis & Lieutenant JG Zub Enel & Cadet Senior Grade Abigail Gordon & Lieutenant Soto Gantt

3,470 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Interlude 1 Gamma Quadrant
Location: Holodeck, USS Firebird
Timeline: Mid-September, 2396

[ON]

The USS Firebird had been docked at DS18 for a few weeks now, and despite the uncertainty about a potential return to the Alpha quadrant, a certain routine had begun to establish itself. There were always repairs to be made on the station, stocks to be checked, more or less minor injuries to be healed, and the influx of military and civilian vessels and their crews to be dealt with.

With the crew of the Firebird having taken over the running of the station, they all were always busy, working longer hours with shorter rest periods. To help with the crew's mental health and overall well-being, the counsellor had designed a special holodeck programme that had been announced to the entire crew: for one day, the holodeck was transformed into a swimming pool and spa that everyone was free to access at any time during that day, provided that it was outside of their duty hours.

With a crew of about a hundred, this meant that the space would never be overrun and the experience hopefully be an enjoyable one for everybody.

While Rhiana was not someone to engage in anything frivolous, she liked the idea of being able to exercise in the water. But when she had gone through the changing area that was part of the programme, she was surprised to see that the counsellor had not only included a 25m long swimming pool, but also a refreshment area with seating, whirlpools, a sauna and even a spa area where holographic attendants would provide a number of treatments.

She was wearing a dark forest green one-piece bathing suit that was cut with the serious swimmer in mind, not someone spending their time tanning on a beach. It effectively covered her torso, and putting it on and removing it was only possible because of a discreet zipper at the front that went halfway down to the stomach. It could not hide that she was in perfect physical shape.

As she walked along the short side of the pool, she looked around to see who else was there and could potentially disturb her workout.

Up to his chin, scales pale brown, Zub Enel had one clawed, three-fingered hand clutching the edge of the pool. He slid a bare foot forward and submerged slightly deeper along the long wall. As he sank in the warm water, his white and pink inflatable “safety” ring – the only kind available poolside – floated off his waist to rise to his armpits. He easily crushed flat one side of the colorful ring under his other arm as he pinned the ring to himself. He realized the thing wasn’t buoyant enough to save a Tribble much less a Voth so dense he plunged like a solid neutronium anchor. The silly ring would just float up overhead, possibly marking the spot he was last seen alive.

The bottom of the pool felt rough. His other hand waved in the water as he tried to ensure he kept his balance. His plan had been to use the holo-pool to get his crested head completely underwater, a thing he was terrified to do. The thought of slipping and sinking uncontrollably to the deep end made him heave in deep breath after breath. His heart filled his ears with a thunderous pounding. Surely, the holodeck wouldn’t let him drown. Surely, it was far safer than trying this in a real water environment. Heck, he might even be able to breathe under holo-water.

A large, inflated sphere with wide, brightly colored longitudinal stripes drifted against his face. He batted it away.

He edged another step deeper, water now over his mouth, just millimeters from submerging his nostrils. He worried still he’d misstep and he’d slip under. Who would save him?

His gaze caught a tall, slender female walking along the short end of the pool. She had the compact but curvy shape that resulted from daily exercise, the kind of body that might attract all too many sorts of attentions. Her face turned his way; narrow, arched eyebrows, high cheekbones, no hint of a smile, Romulan. It was Lieutenant Commander Rhiana t’Aegis. He weighed why he was surprised to see her in a swimsuit. After all, everything about her spoke of her being highly athletic. Swimming was athletic.

He didn’t know the Commander at all. He’d seen her moving with purpose around DS18. She seemed to have a solid sense of duty, so she might dive in to save him, but it’d take four people swimming hard to get his dense body refloated so he could breathe. He told himself it was best not to slip.

A program made by a counselor for relaxation certainly piqued Abigail's interest. Especially since it had a place to swim! She had been missing the laps she swam, being able to gracefully go from one end of the pool to the next without a worry of being clumsy. She took time to look at what was there, amazed at the amenities. She went to change, her one-piece swimsuit zipped up in front the neckline high with the back of it the style termed a racerback, which offered more movement. Her swimsuit was a dark purple, which complimented her eyes. Abi didn't wear her hair loose, instead, she had it tucked up in a well-fitting swim cap to keep the water out of her ears. It was the same color as her swimsuit. her figure was shapely, with a long waist, and her legs were well toned from the dancing and swimming she loved to do.

When she stepped out, Abi realized there were others there. Her eyes were first drawn to a tall Romulan woman, wearing a dark green swimsuit. And did she catch sight of Zub?

"Hello," she cheerily said before Abi went to investigate the pool. She looked towards Rhiana, "Are you here to do laps as well?"

It was always nice to receive an invite to anything, and Siora never shied away from anything that sounded fun or had any type of social interaction. She was a very outgoing, confident, and bubbly woman, something she never kept to herself.

Walking into the holodeck she had left her hair cascading down her body but had highlighted the pink in her hair a little more. She wore a bathing suit in two parts. The top part was one that came up and covered her shoulders, much like a bikini top/tank top kind of deal. It was flowery but complimented light brown skin tone with a sheer black look and contrasting coloured flowers. Her bottom half was a standard pair of pants. She wasn't shy in showing off her body, she worked hard to keep it that way. The only thing was, and the reason she wore a top in that design, was to hide the scar she bore from her interaction with the Borg. It still stuck out the side a little, but it was the only thing she could be self-conscious about at times.

Thankfully, there was a little bar set up near the water. Siora would head there for now and grab herself something. She'd been working herself to the bone trying to get the station operational.

Rhiana noted the glances her appearance caused and ignored all of them. Years of being bullied had made her skin thick. And years of working on her self-control made it possible for her to keep the disgust out of her expression when she saw the lizard in the water. For some reason, these Starfleet people frowned upon discrimination. That had been quite a difficult lesson for her to learn when she came to the Federation. Even though she had been considered too Outworlder-friendly at home.

An informal greeting in her direction pulled her out of her dangerous reminiscence and back to the here and now. Rhiana looked at the other woman with her neutral expression while she tried to place her. Then she remembered. "Cadet," she replied with a slight nod of her head. They had never interacted before, but as chief of security, she knew her people. Even if they were out of uniform and changing their appearance with a swimming cap. It was always intriguing to see how the absence of hair could change a person's features.

"I had the intention of exercising, yes," she continued quite formally. "So do you, I assume."

"Yes, I do have the intention of doing some exercising however, is our pathway clear?" She looked out towards where she could see something there. "Is-is that Zub over there?"

Rhiana looked in the direction indicated by the cadet and raised her left eyebrow. "He is not big enough to obstruct all the lanes." Turning her attention back to the cadet, she added, "Do you have a set exercise regimen?"

"Yes, its a 30 minute exercise with various different strokes of which I change between as well as work up to an intense speed at the end. I am up to 30 laps, but my goal is getting up to 40 laps. I'm not there yet." Abi gave a slight smile to Rhiana. "What is your exercise regimen?"

Abigail glanced around the room and noticed a woman seated at the bar. "Hi there!" she called out towards the woman at the bar. "Nice program, right? My name is Abigail." to introduce herself both to Siora as well as Rhiana. "Hello Zub!" turning her attention towards her new friend.

Zub had spent quite a lot of time frozen in place by the pool wall, the water micrometers from his nostrils. He couldn’t force his feet to slide one step further down the pool bottom. He stopped holding his breath. He resigned himself to another failure. ‘To heck with Do-It-Yourself aversion therapy!’ He knew other personnel were in this holodeck scenario to have fun. He decided to try fun instead of getting over his terror of drowning.

He took a step backward and then another until his head and neck were above the pool water. He looked around. When Abi greeted him, he waved and smiled. The Romulan Sec/Tac stood next to Abi. There was a female with lovely wavy hair, a flowery top, and sensible pants at the little bar near the poolside. He smiled. The place was filling up!

Enel didn’t know the woman at the bar. He remembered vaguely that she had something to do with Engineering. He wanted to meet her.

He worked his way out of the pool. In the crazy way of holo-worlds, he was dry as soon as he stepped out. Nevertheless, he wrapped his waist in a towel and hung another around his neck so the ends dangled over his bare chest. His experience was that not all females liked nearly naked male strangers charging up to them to say hi.

He approached the woman from her side so she’d see him coming. When she turned her head toward him, he stopped beyond arm’s reach, smiled, and introduced himself.

Crossing the deck of the pool, the rough cement a pleasant scratch against his feet, Gantt did the usual scan for friends' open chairs. He recognized Rhiana and Abigail, the latter a pleasant reminder of their chat with Gia and Jackson. A few other faces had varying levels of familiarity. Gantt picked a chair near the entrance, took a deep breath, and set down his towel, PADD, and a pair of soft shoes. An internal voice barked at him to leave. At least to wrap himself up in his towel.

He hadn't been swimming for months, though he used to swim regularly. The vulnerability of being without his combadge and tools rattled around his chest. Eyes seemed to follow his back until he left, always within a minute or two. Thanks to a chat with Commander Leed, he had this current attempt--a thin, sleek suit with the color and sheen of mercury that covered him entirely except for his face, wrists, and feet. It was tightly molded around the chest and joints. The suit was built more for underwater exploration than exercise, but it helped. Gantt breathed again, then slowly walked toward the general location of Rhiana and Abigail.

"Hello, Abigail, it's good to see you again. This has a lot more options than the usual pool. There's even a bar," said Gantt. He looked over at Rhiana. "Is this your program, Commander? I'd think there is too much leisure here for your tastes."

Siora had returned the kind welcome to Abigail and returned the same gesture by introducing herself. Zub, this species she had heard of whilst back on El Auria, was still a sight to behold as he towered over her. His golden irises almost felt like they were piercing her soul, searching. Siora still wasn't sure of all of the crew of the Firebird, but she would definitely remember him. "Big one, aren't you?" she commented on Zub's size in comparison to her, a whole 1 and a half feet taller. Her lack of a filter at times wasn't always welcomed, but most found her charming and honest.

The Voth smiled at the height remark from the charmingly honest female. “The way Voths go, I’m a runt.” He grinned to ensure she knew he was joking.

She looked younger than middle-aged but not a freshly scrubbed cadet straight out of the Academy. He surmised she could be any rank of officer. She sat relaxed. A certain calmness radiated from her. Not calm, he decided, but patience – a good trait if she was indeed some kind of engineer. His gaze dropped to a glass on the bar she’d circled with her fingers. “I see you have a drink. Is it supposed to smoke that much?”

"I feel like I'd get trampled on if I went to your world." Siora continued as she saw Zub grin. "What's the tallest of your species ever recorded?" she asked with interest.

“Oh, Voth’s can stand 3 meters or so. On my world,” the scaly security officer waved a hand vaguely in the direction of everywhere, “as that great Klingon humorist Mark Twain said, ‘as long as you stood still and behaved yourself, you’d be safe from trampling; but as soon as you started moving about, and Voths got to looking at other things, you’d come to grief.’” He gave her a wicked smile.

She looked at her drink, noticing his question about it smoking. "Well, as an engineer, if it’s not on fire, smoking, or sparking, then I'm not interested... although, being almost 300 years old, I have seen pretty much most things that can catch fire." She picked up her drink and took a sip. As she pulled the drink away, her face emerged from the smoke with a smile, her drink was delicious.

Zub Enel’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wow! That means you are older than the entire existence of the Federation!” His crested brow lowered. He pursed his scaly lips a moment. “Many species live only a third of your lifetime so far. I imagine you’ve had to leave behind many persons you grew to love.” The corners of his lips bent down. He imagined how sad that must be for her.

Abigail felt a sense of happiness with the acknowledgement from Siora. She was making plans to get to know Siora a bit better than just a happy greeting.

Breathing in, she turned her attention toward Gantt. "You look fantastic." In the back of her mind, Gantt's sleek suit reminded her of a comic book character from Old Earth, the Silver Surfer. "What sort of swimming regimen do either of you adhere to?"

Siora paused for a moment as a flash of sadness flew across her face. "Yes, I've left a lot behind in my life," she said with remorse. "But it comes with being the species I am; we deal with it often, and I think better than most. Plus, we have a good skincare regimen." She lifted the mood with a joke as she brushed her fingers across her left cheekbone.

This place was turning out not to be what Rhiana had expected. There were way too many people for one. She was also slightly distracted by the different conversations going around, her sharp ears trying to pick out the most interesting, which is why she took some time to realise that not only had Abigail talked to her, but Gantt had joined them, too. Rhiana blinked and looked at the two younger crewmembers. Her left eyebrow twitched slightly as she took in Gantt's attire. But while it stroke her as unusual, she did not know what Bajorans customarily wore when swimming, so she disregarded it. It could be worse, after all.

"You are correct, Lieutenant," she eventually replied to his remark about the simulation. "It is not my programme. The ship's counsellor organised this. What do you think about it?" Turning to Abigail, she added, "Your regimen is sound and varied. I usually train for endurance, not speed."

Siora’s good skin regimen remark made Zub Enel smile. He looked around. “I’m going to head to the sauna. I have heard that steam helps reduce scaly skin. Enjoy your drink.”

He worked his way through the other crew toward the doors to the steam rooms.

Gantt nodded along with Rhiana, not hearing what Abigail had said about her workout but eager to join the conversation. He shook his arms to loosen them, but, in fact, they had been warmed up. The motion was to fight the tightening from being next to the commander. Her stoicism and certainty caused anxiety to coil up in his muscles. "My workout is a few sets of Freestyle with spring kicks and short rests mixed in. The goal is to double my distance over the next 3-4 months," he said, at Rhiana and Abigail. Gantt heard a small waver in his voice and quickly added, "I've always swum for fun, but I'm working on a new program."

"Working on Endurance? That sounds like a good idea. Since we are here, want to get in some swimming exercise? I know I would like to work on it to de-stress just a bit." Another thing that Abigail turned to swimming for, besides keeping herself in shape.

"How about you Siora? Are you going to do some swimming? " Abi thought she had heard the woman's name spoken by someone.

"Nope," Siora said with a cheesy grin. "Nothing good comes from getting my hair wet, holographic or not."

"Exercise is the only reason I am here," Rhiana stated very matter-of-factly. Most anyone, even those who did not know her, could probably guess relatively easily that the Romulan chief of security was not someone who did anything for fun. "You are welcome to join me but are under no obligation to do so." She did not add a name, as if she was extending the invitation to whoever was listening in the vicinity.

"I am ready," Abigail said, getting into the water with barely a splash. "I feel the need to do some swimming." Looking up toward Gantt and Rhiana as she hung onto the side of the pool, her feet moving to keep her afloat. She then moved more to the end of the pool to begin her exercise routine, feeling rather happy as she was able to swim. All is well, at least at this moment, becoming one with the water and the movement through it.

The water embraced Gantt as his dive carried him forward. Warm. Gentle. Complete. For now, the worries in the back of his mind were carried away by the momentum. He breached he surface, his smile clear as daylight. "What is it about water and sunshine that just feels... good? Let's do this. No competition, just friends helping each other be in better shape."

"I agree, calmness, mutual enjoyment and the structure of exercise both of mind and body." Abi pausing to answer Gantt before she resumed.

[OFF]

Commander Siora Carberos
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298


Lieutenant Commander Rhiana t'Aegis
Second Officer / Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298


Lieutenant Soto Gantt (NPC by Leed)
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298


Lieutenant JG Zub Enel
Security Investigations Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298


Cadet Senior Grade Abigail Gordon
Nurse
USS Firebird NCC-88298

 

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