Holodeck

[FMar J Weslynes]

The star base offers the use of holodecks for off duty members.

[wynnlaren]

Entering the Holodeck, Laren looks around, “Now, this is what I remember.”

The scene is a beach from a nearby town to the home she had established after the Occupation had ended. Entering behind her, Charlie also looks around, “It is quite beautiful.” Also entering, Grab Foot of Two Dawns looks around as well at the beaches, the waves, and the aqua blue water, “I agree. Quite Beautiful.”

Charlie begins looking for a changing room, eager to get into the water, “Got to be one around here!”

Spotting one, “Ah, there it is!” He heads into the changing room to change.

“This is on the Southern Islands. We are still working on rebuilding the splendor we had here at one point. I just find it restful because there are so few people here.”

Nodding at some bushes near by, in lieu of the actual structures, “Those bushes over there will work.” Smiling as she watches Charlie, she then vanishes into the brush to change for her self.

Stepping back out, changed into a set of swim trunks his muscles clearly seen. “Sure you won’t swim Grab Foot? Swimming’s great fun.”

Glancing at where Laren went into he bushes, then turns to Charlie, “I shall try.” He steps out of his uniform there on the beach, his fur fully covering him. Then, they both wait for Laren to return.

Finally, she returns, her one piece bearing a bright, colorful pattern. Rather different from her normal clothes. Her legs bearing scars, still visible from her childhood in the work camps.

Grab Foot glances to Charlie, “Something wrong?” he asks innocently.

“Some trunks would be nice.”

Grab Foot merely shrugs, then turns to Laren as she emerged from the bushes in her suit. Noticing the scars on her legs, but doesn’t comment. His tail spiraling into a helix, “You look very attractive, Laren.”

Hearing the comment, he looks, and agrees, “Beautiful.”

Turning to Grab Foot, “Come on Grab Foot. We don’t need a show.”

Smiling a little, she looks at the two of them, “It’s nice to relax a little. And, I’m not going to argue with you about my looks.” She sakes her head, her hair, which is down for once, flaring around her face and shoulders.

Looking at Charlie, ears tilting forward again, “Show?”

“Your privates?”
Looking at Grab Foot, “I think he’s a little embarrassed with your ability to run around with out clothes. He’s got that naive Terran bias.”

“No, I’m not embarrassed. I got no problems with going nude.”

Grab Foot shakes his head, “My fur is covering most of me.”

“You are one strange Feline. You know that?”

Chuckling at the by-play between the “men”, she runs towards the water, and wades in, about calf deep. Turning, she splashes Charlie. “Shush! Quit being so demanding all the time. Relax would you!” She laughs, and splashes him again.

Wading in a little ways himself, he splashes back, “I will relax!”

“You are one strage human, but I am not complaining.” He comments to Charlie, just before he is splashed himself.

Laughing, even as she is splashed, she continues, finally targeting Grab Foot as well. “And, you need to relax too!”

Echoing her laughter, “That Grab Foot!” Splashes at Grab Foot, calling out, “Grab Foot as well!”

Getting splashed, he spirals his tail more, “I am relaxing.” Getting splashed again, he squawks a little.



Getting ready to splash Grab Foot, Charlie changes his mind, thinking that a squawk means he gives. “Squawking all ready?” He turns and splashes Laren instead.

His tail flicks in mock anger, “OK, you two.” He does a running dive into the water, splashing both of them with water.

Smiling at Grab Foot, she begins mock stalking him, then turns and pounces on Charlie, bowling him over into the sand as he splashes her again. Laughing, she sits in the shallow water, her laugh partially strangled with Grab Foot’s diving splash. “Ahhh!”

Smiling, she looks between the two, then dives after Grab Foot. “You’ll get that in return!”

Charlie, looks at Laren, and smirks, then is hit by Grab Foot’s splash. He smiles again at Laren’s comment. Chasing both of them, he calls out, “I’ll dunk you both!”

Grab Foot takes advantage of his dive, and swims under the water for a short ways, then turns and comes up, sending another wave at Laren and Charlie.

Laren dives into the water, hitting it in a flat dive, slicing water into a double rooster tail, managing to miss both Charlie and Grab Foot, but the secondary splash still hits.


Just as he comes up, he is splashed by Laren’s dive.

Coming up, “Got to catch us first!” She ducks back under, and moves away quickly, the clear water not hiding her.

Getting hit by the splash, Charlie swims after Laren under water.

Smiling, Laren manages to slip by Charlie, and turns back to where she remembers Grab Foot being. Her eyes slitted, she begins hunting for him, bouncing off the floor of the sea to catch a breath. Her last bounce being cut short as Charlie manages to catch a foot and pull her back. Grab Foot continues his pursuit, swimming with his head above water, because he wasn’t’ that good at under water swimming.

Diving back under, Laren turns and grabs the wrist of the one holding her, making him break his grip. The pushes him down where he finally lets go hitting the bottom and raising his head. Managing to break the surface, Charlie takes a breath, then dives under again.

Loosing sight of the two of them, Grab Foot stops, and looks around. He is looking for a hidden cave nearby. Not seeing on immediately, he continues swimming. He is suddenly dunked as Charlie comes up behind him, having just missed Laren’s surprise attack. He yelps as he is pulled under.

Sailing over Grab Foots position from the force of using Charlie as her bouncepad, and his sudden disappearance from the dunking, she gulps a mouthful of sea water as she hits the water again.

Not giving up the fight, Grab Foot twists around, grabbing the ankle belonging to the hand which had grabbed him, and pulls the participant down with him. Standing, looking back where she’d heard the yelp on the way into the water, Laren sees a boil of water where Grab Foot and Charlie are playing.

“Not fair! He’s mine!” Laughing, she makes her way back to that point. Not hearing her, because he’s been pulled under, Charlie, grabs at Grab Foot to push him down, and to rebound, so he can get some air. Grab Foot too couldn’t hear, as he was under water. Instead, he returns the push, pulling Charlie down, then springs off of him, before Charlie can reciprocate again, towards Laren. As he grabs Laren’s ankle, he sees Charlie come up for air. He pulls her down, though, not as hard as he did Charlie.

Standing still, her feet slightly apart, braced against a sudden attack, she fels the water move around her legs too late to prevent herself from falling. She sees Charlie spring off thebottom, coming up, and heading to where she and Grab Foot are.

“Eeep!” she smiles as she twists around, finding the hand which grabbed her. Her smile grows, and she quickly reaches down to the base of the tail and begins tickling. Even as Laren falls, Grab Foot comes up for air using the force of Laren’s fall to help him propel himself up. Charlie, seeing Grab Foot’s head, heads that way.

Meeping in surprise as he felt the tickle at the base of his tail, he kicks away from Laren and her ticklish fingers, managing to dodge Charlie. He comes up behind Laren, lifting her gently, and tossing her further into the water. Grab Foot, turns to see what’s happening, he sees Charlie toss Laren, and moves to catch Laren as she lands in the water.

“Ooof!” She says, feeling her self caught. Seeing that it had been Charlie who tossed her, “Now, I’m a beach ball?”

In response, Grab Foot lets off a chuckle-hiss, “You are much cuter than a ball Laren.”

“That she is.” He laughs a little, moving in on Grab Foot and Laren, quickly dunking Grab Foot, and swimming away.

Laughing herself, “Furball!” She lunges out of his arms, hitting the wand, and pushes back into him. “Cute my foot! That is for bunnies and soft fluffy furballs. Not me.”

Dunked with Laren still in his arms, he goes under, and then swims away to chase after Charlie, just having lost Laren as he falls. Charlie dives under the water, swimming back.

Grab Foot only hearing the “fur” part of Laren’s call, before he is dunked, he catches Charlie by the ankle as he comes back the opposite way, and pushes him down.

Her comment is burbled as she goes under again, this time in Grab Foot’s arms, she is pulled down as Charlie gets pushed down. However, she is still not free, as Charlie heads back toward her. Grab Foot manages to come up for air, a brief gulp in a second before going back under.

Standing, finally winning free of the two, she wipes the water out of her eyes, and looks for them. Spotting Charlie, she smiles, and works her way stealthily over to him with a slow, soft gliding walk, so not as to disturb the water any more than necessary. Charlie, pre-empts her move, by swimming under her, and standing up, lifting her up on his shoulders.

“How’s the view up there?” He asks, laughing.

She grabs his hair, and gently pulls his head above water. “You really shouldn’t let that cat get the best of you, you know.” Plunks his head back down.


Getting a mouthful of water, comes up for air, a few yards from where Grab Foot also comes up. He watches as Charlie lifts Laren onto his shoulders, then stands, lifting her above the water just in time to have his head moved in such a way to cause him to get a mouthful of water. As, she is lifted, Laren deliberately leans forward into the deeper surf to topple Charlie.

“It’s great, but I think it’s better down there!” She answers, waiting for the balance to shift, then tumbles back into the water.

Grab Foot’s wet tail spirals a bit into a helix, at Charlie and Laren’s playing. He watches as the topple over, where Laren locks her feet behind Charlie’s shoulders, so only his head can come above water, keeping her own face above water. “Give?”

Going back under, he makes a bid at Grab Foot, dragging Laren along with, the movement apparent to Grab Foot as he sees Laren goes under. The movement coming his direction. He quickly dives back under, and swims away. Reaching for Grab Foot, with Laren still holding on, he misses as Grab Foot moves his foot slightly just as Charlie grabbed for him. He manages to switch his direction, and swims under Charlie and Laren. Laren arches herself, pushing Charlie under a little deeper, using the motion to lift herself a little further out of the water. Rolling under the water, Charlie manages to break free as Laren looses her foot lock.

“Ahh, Da@#!” Quickly, Laren reverses direction, and heads for shore. She is still smiling though.

Grab Foot swims under Charlie, and is caught by Laren pushing him down. He kicks out, and swims for the surface. Getting hit with the extra push provided to Charlie as she tries to swim over him, on her way toward shore, Laren grunts a little. Caught between Grab Foot kicking free of the combined efforts of his own and Laren, he manuvers to get free. Grab Foot, then swims for the surface, catching a glimpse of what looks to be a black hole. An, indecation of an underwater cave. Charlie, a little upset, comes up for air, and looks for Laren and Grab Foot.

Managing to get to a place where she could get her footing again, she stands and looks back at the others, “Come catch me!” she calls taking off running down the beach in the surf.

Charlie takes off after her, looking to catch her. Seeing Laren a couple of yards away, he sends a wave towards laren, only to miss as she took off running. Charlie, manages to dunk Grab Foot one more time, as he chases after Laren, and Grab Foot begins to follow. As he comes up, he manages to find some solid ground. Laren laughs when she hears the water splash behind her, but she doesn’t slow. Instead, speeding up a little, but still pacing herself. After several hundred yards, cuts back towards the beach, and a little easier footing with out he water swirling around her ankles and calves.

Pacing himself, he cuts towards the beach when Laren does, loosing sight of Grab Foot. Grab Foot shakes himself off from the extra water, and then takes off after Laren. Seeing her a couple hundred yards ahead, he puts on a burst of speed.

Laren, turns around, then sees Charlie in front of her. She veers a little towards the water, then back onto the hard packed sand. Closely following her movements, Charlie turns when she does, but is suddenly stopped by Grab Foot. Thinking briefly about grabbing Grab Foot’s tail, he decides against it, so as not to hurt him. However, Grab Foot passes both of them, sliding to a halt and returning, though not as fast. Seeing Grab Foot charging at her, she veers into the surf again, the water slowing her down. “Agh!”

Cutting in her direction, to cut her off, Charlie, watches as she enters the surf again. Using his tail, to help him turn, Grab Foot runs after Laren, seeing Charlie traying to cut her off. Panting a little, Laren heads back to the hard pack again, hoping to avoid both Charlie and Grab Foot. Determined not to be caught.

“Not… fair…. Doub…le…team…ing… me!” She pants out as she looks for someplace to get away from them still being followed closely by Charlie, who is giving her chase. Looking back, seeing Charlie only a few feet back, and Grab Foot rapidly closing, she attempts to put on more sped, and starts to feel a stitch in her side.

“We can’t help that we out number you.” Charlie calls, having heard her.

Before catching Laren, Grab Foot, switches tactics, and chases directly after Charlie, catching him. Then he nudges him to throw him off balance as he runs by. Falling into the track of softer sand, and flipping over, Charlie lands oh his back, “Ahh!”

Putting on a slight burst of speed, he catches up to Laren, running along side of her, “Mind if I join you?”

Getting back up slowly, he comments to no one in particular, “Derailed by the Grab Foot Express.” He takes off after Laren and Grab Foot again, still chasing her.

“Not.. at…all..Though…I … think..I ….am…going…to … haveto…stop.” She suits actions to words panting heavily, “I…think..I…just…proved…to…my…self…that…I…am…out…of…shape.” Leaning over bracing her self on her knees, she concentrates on slowing her breath, so she could catch it.

As she leans over, GrabFoot reaches over and picks Laren up, to run with her. “How is this?” he asks, almost missing her as she stopped. Laren grunts as Grab Foot picks her up.

“Works.. for now.” Her breathing beginning to slow.

Charlie, stops and drops to his knees as everything spins. Laren sees Charlie fall over Grab Foot’s shoulder. “No. Wait. Charlie.” She squirms a little. “He’s down.”

Charlie attempts to stand, but falls back down. Grab Foot stops and turns to look at Charlie, calling out, “I didn’t think I hit you that hard.” He sets Laren down.

Charlie shakes his head, and everything spins again. Laren regaining her feet, begins walking back to where Charlie is trying to stand. She calls out as she approaches, “Are you all right?”

Sitting in the surf, “I must have hit harder than I thought. I think I’m just dazed.” He rubs his head. Laren’s hand following his over his skull, then moves down across his neck, shoulders and back.

“No, nothing broken that I can feel.” Coughs a little from her recient excertions. Charlie relaxes as Laren runs her hand over him.

“I’m OK. I just need a minute.”

Grab Foot walks back, following Laren, “I didn’t think I hit you that hard, Charlie. I only nudged you.”

Nodding to Charlie, she sits down her self. “So, do I. It seems I’m going to have to get out on the track more, if I intend to keep this up. I ran out of breath after only 400 yards.”

“I lost my balance, and hit wrong when I landed. It’s a bit embarrassing. I guess I need to practice landing on falls during a full run.”

Laren shakes her head, finally getting her breath back entirely. “Well, I’ve had enough. Though, this was fun. We’ll have to schedule to do this again. After I get back into better shape.” She chuckles a little, then continues, “Seems we all have something to work on.” She looks over at Grab Foot, “You?”

As Charlie smiles towards Laren, Grab Foot replies, “I had fun. That was good exercise. My fur is still a bit wet though.” He then helps Charlie up, after accepting the hand held out in appeal.


Chuckling a little, she watches Charlie and Grab Foot. “Actually, I think we are all done. Though, before I enjoy too much more company, I think I’m going to hit the showers. That salt is going to itch here before long.”

The other two nod in agreement. They dispurse to collect their uniforms, and then exit the holodeck. Each bound to their personal quarters to clean up.

As she walks down the hall, she looks over at them, “See you in a few?”

“Sure” they chorus together.

[wynnlaren]

Charlie enters the holodeck, dressed in his uniform, glancing back over his shoulder. Laren, following behind him, is still smiling a little at a comment made in the Recruit Room as she exited.

Charlie calls out, as they enter “Computer, Blue Ridge Parkway. Fall.” It appears around them, the leaves are in their fall colors of red and orange. The air has just a slight crispness to it. He looks at Laren, “I love jogging during the fall time. So many colors.”

He then walks to a cabin, close by to change into his jogging gear, calling out as he enters, “see y’all in a few minutes!” He soon reemerges, and waits for Laren.

Laren walks towards the cabin as well, entering the room obviously designated for her use to change into a set of light sweats. Shortly, she too reemerges back to the trail head.

“It does look nice. I haven’t seen these sites before.” She comments looking around and doing some light stretches.

Watching her, he comments, “Yes, its very beautiful. Halfway up there is a waterfall and an area to rest.”

Smiling in response to the comment, Laren motions for him to lead the way. “Well, I’m ready to attempt it. But, I’ll follow your lead. You seem to know this area well.”

Starting up the path at a sedate job, Charlie informs her, “Yes. I came here a lot as a child.”

Striking off after him, a chuckle still working its way out, Laren looks around and comments, “I bet it was always beautiful. This place looks like its always bursting with something new to see.”

Veering off the path, “Yes. I have something to show you.”

Stopping at the endge of the cliff, and pointing down into the valley where ther was a house sitting quietly. “See that valley and house?”

Following in his foot steps behind him, she looks where he points. “Yes.”

“I own that, and the entire 2000 acres making up the valley floor. Fell in love with this place as a child. So, bought some property.” He smiles a little as he says this.

Looking at him in amazement, “2000 acres? How do you manage it?”

“I have friends and family who help me. They take care of it while I’m gone.” He smiles a little thinking of them. “Some day, I’ll get home.” His smile grows a little.

Nodding, the smile slipping from her face. “Home. Home with family. That would be nice.” She looks at him, “Though, at least you have help. And, someone to over see it while you are gone.”

Surveying the area below her, she then turns to look at Charlie, “Have you been home recently?”

“Haven’t been home in 10 years. Ma and Pa live there for now.”

“That is a long time to be away from home. Especially, such a home as that.” Nodding towards the house and valley, “I bet it was hard to leave?”

“Yes. But, I’ll get back there the next time the Peg visits earth.” He smiles at the thought. “Got horses and everything down there.

Smiling, he turns and heads back to the trail. “10 years for it, but it’s all mine now.” Stepping back onto the trail, he continues. “My first 3 years in the Marines to pay for it, but it’s all mine now.”

Smiles, and looks over the panorama one more time. “That is what I’d call dedication. At least you stil have a dream to work for. I wish I did.”

Following him back onto the trail, “So where to now?”

“This way” heading up the trail, “Everyone has dreams.”

Sorrowfully, “Not everyone. I do not.”

“No dreams? Nothing you want with your life?” As he jogs along, waiting on her answer, he spots two white tail deer crossing the path ahead of them.

Looking at him, an ember in her eyes flaring to full flame, “Nothing I should want. At least not according to the current rules.”

Seeing the deer ahead, she stops suddenly, whispering, “Wow! I’ve never seen such at this range. Would make a good dinner for a camp! With leftovers, I’d think.”

“Yes, they’re good eating. Can’t hunt them on park land, but you can on my land.” He smiles at her, trying to help alleviate the darkness he sees about her.

Starting out again, and jogging on, “My dream is simple. Some day to find someone to share that with.” He motions back to the valley.

Laren watches the deer cross the road, then takes off again after Charlie.

“When Sara, my sister gets married, we’ll have her wedding there.” He again smiles, thinking of the event.

“That would be beautiful I bet.” She comments, finally catching back up to him, and falling into step with him.

“Yes. I think it will. Her and my brothers don’t know know, but when the time comes, I’m giving each some land down there.” He jogs on, then turns off to see a waterfall in a clearing. Near the water, there is a place to sit and rest on some conveniently placed logs.
“That fall feeds the creek that runs through my property.” He explains as they enter the clearing.”

Panting a little from the last uphill stretch of jogging, she looks around the clearing, “This is so much like the cliffs near where I grew up. Though, I never had time to just admire it. I did manage to on occasion, to see it for extended periods of time while I was doing my work.”

Resting himself, “You should go back to see them. This is 1.5 miles from where we started.”

Wistfully, Laren looks around the clearing, getting her breath back, “Maybe, one day I’ll be able to return.”

Looking at Laren, trying to judge her stamina, he comments, “The next 2 miles is a steep incline to the top of this small mountain. You can see all around up there. That’d be nice for you. Or, do you want to head back?”

Giving him a slightly dirty look, “I can go on. I’m not really that winded. Yet.”

“All right.” He starts jogging up the mountain.

Following behind, takes a chance to really get a good look around. “You are so lucky. To have grown up in such a setting. It is gorgeous.”


“I grew up in Ohio. But, we came down when ever we could. Ma and Pa are from this area, and I always wanted to live here. And will now.”

Shakes her head in wonderment, “Even to visit such a place as this. So peaceful, and restful. It would have been nice.”

“Yes, that’s why I fell in love with it.” Stopping he points to several rabbits along the side of the trail.

Smiling at the sight, a mischevious glint in her eye, Laren reaches over to snap a dry twig. She restrains a chuckle as the rabbits first freeze, then bolt off into the underbrush. “They seem almost domestic. Are they like that really?”

“Yes. All the park animals will come up to you some. All are still scared, but they come up to you.”

“Phenomenal.” She shakes her head in wonderment. “This is like a fairy land.” Softly, she continues, as if to herself, “This is so different than what I knew of as a chile. What would have been different if I’d been able to have some such place as this?”

“It’s hard to say, on that.” He continues jogging up the mountain. “I often wonder what my life would have been like had I been normal.”

Looking askance at him, after finally managing to catch up to him and match his strides again, “Normal? What is normal? I would think that such as yourself, growing up with this would be better than ‘normal’. There would be no scars, because you would be able to purge the hurt here.”

“Yes. When I was down here, up home was away. I was always called a freak, or stupid. Here? Never.”

“Stupid? Freak? I do not understand. You are quite intelligent, and very good with people.”

“Kids can be cruiel to you. But I never let them get away with calling my brothers or Sara that.”

Stopping short, she looks at Charlie, “I do not know. But, then, children do not know what cruelty is. Most of my year friends were kind to everyone. Not only was it part of our way, but it was drilled into us from the Occupation.”

Looking back at Laren, “No, I recon they didn’t know the cruelty of other places. And, they probably thought it was fun picking on someone different.”

“That is sad that children of your past were that petty.”

“Yes. But, it wasn’t all bad. I had here, and my friends down here.”

Shaking her head, she looks at him. “I am jealous. We may have been polite, and as kind as we could. But we didn’t dare develop many deep friendships to support each other. Many times, if it was seen that there was a friendship developing, the friends would either be separated, or the weakest one would be coerced into being a snitch on the rest of the group. We never could trust each other not to become the snitch. Even I was not fully trusted.”

“That’s sad. Never to have a deep friendship? Those are great.”

“The closest relationship any of us had, that I knew of, were in the resistance cells. There we knew we could trust our cell mates. Though, often we did not know their real names. Often times, we didn’t even know their faces. But, it was heart warming to know that there was someone out there you could leave a message for. And, they would return a true/real answer. But, that was after I got to be a teenager. Before that, it was my family. Before they began getting killed.” She looked down, still standing on the trail, “After my sister died, I was heart broken. I had to become hard, so that the Cardassians didn’t know how much that hurt!”

Charlie places a hand on her shoulder, “I can not even imagine the pain you went through with that.”

Still lost in her memories, her voice still soft, “One by one, my sisters, my mother, my brother, then my father. I am the only one left. The only one who survived.”

Looking up, at Charlie, the ember now a full bonfire flame, “Why me? Why did I survive?”

“My people would say you were chosen not to die by our God. But, I can’t answer that.” He looks at her sadly.

Shaking her head a little. “I did not participate in the actual fighting. Except rarely, when we raided for supplies. Even then, I was left to watch our way out, and signal if it was blocked. I got lucky. But, what determines luck? What determines who gets the luck or not?”

Sighing a little, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dump this on you. You were showing me your home.”

“It’s OK. I believe now that when we pass, everything will be explained.” Starting back on the trail at the initial paced jog, “It helps to talk about things from time to time. Keeps us from going nuts.”

Sighing again, and forcing her memories back into their appropriate dark corners she takes off after him with silent, yet heavy foot steps. “Not always. I do not like to live in the past. Though, I do have one thing left which keeps me from putting it completely away. Or moving on.”

“What’s that?”

Looks at him, her eyes fully ablaze with something that it if could burn for real would set the entire ridge afire with a firestorm to go down into history. “What I shouldn’t. Revenge. I don’t want to kill the family that did this to me. I want them to know what it’s like!! And, for the blood feud to end with ME!”

Looking at Laren over his shoulder, “Just don’t let that revenge devour you.”

Snorting inelegeantly in return, “If it were, do you think they’d let me work with the Cadets?” Her voice still a little harsh.

Still looking at her, his feet finding the path by memory, “No, they would not.”

Her eyes shutter suddenly, returning to the dead nut brow, which is their normal state. “And, I do not actively pursue such a course. I have let the Prophets guide my steps so far. Why should I deviate from the path offered to me now? If They wish me to achieve my revenge, they will aid me in finding that particular family. And, I will have the ability to strike effectively!”

Looking at her apologetically, “I’m sure they will.”

Sighing again, this time she also huffed a little in time to her steps. “But, that is for the future. I do not think that they will be here.” She smiles a true smile, the first on this outing. “Lead on, oh, gallant one. I seem to be doing well enough for now keeping this pace.”

Smiling, he points ahead, “Last half mile is almost straight up hill. Do you want to keep going?”

Chuckling a little, beginning to feel the strain in her legs, “At this pace? Probably not. Hiking? I’ll give it a try. I’m sure it’s a phenomenal view from up there though.”

“Yes, it is.” Starts up the hill, still jogging. With a little laugh, “When I was a kid, we used to play hide and seek in these woods.”

Chuckling herself, and setting herself at the hill in the same jogging pace, “I can se why. There are many hiding places here.” Her eyes all ready picking out places to hid. With the experience of having to hide from the Cardassians, she can see several secure hiding places, where she’s sure that a young child would manage to go unobserved for most of the day. At least until their youthful hunger drove them out.

Smiling at her comment, “Yes. Many places to hide.” His breath starting to come heavy, “Almost to the top.”

Panting slightly herself, since she had paced Charlie to the top, “Good. Do you know the best part of this, besides the view?”

“Being with you?” He asks reaching the top. “The top.” He looks around at all the valleys full of fig, the towns can be seen on the hill tops, and the woods are ablaze with their colors.

Chuckling as she reaches the top herself. She replies in a teasing response, “No. The way home is all down hill! I’m only a fringe benefit. Not a major one.”

Smiling at Laren’s light tone, “You are a mojor one to me. And, yes, home is all down hill.”

Stopping to catch her breath, of which she’s having trouble because the view is breath taking in, and of itself. “How could you ever bear to leave this?”

“I was running from pain. But never did out run that.” Catching his breath.

“Pain?” Looks at him blankly, “What is there to cause you pain. With this around you?” She was a little slow to understand that it was psychological pain, not physical pain.

Pointing to a small pond, just visible over the crest of the hill fed by another small water fall, “Carlyon drowned there when she was 16. I’ve been running every sense.”

Looking at the pond, “I did not mean to bring up old pain. I am sorry. It is always hard to loose a loved one. Whether through natural accident, or through murder.” She almost spits out the last word.

Taking a deep breath, breathing in the air, “Yes it is. But, running wasn’t the answer to that. Took 10 years, but I figured that out.”

“True, running never helps. Only facing your pain will allow you to put it away properly.” She shudders slightly, then sits.

Sitting beside her, “So true.” He looks at Laren, “I can always end the program.” He looks back down the path.

Hearing a chirp on her Com badge, “I’m afraid I’m going to have to accept that. This is not exactly what I counted for fun, but that was a notice that my first transport back towards the Washington is at perihelion, and I have to go.”


Nodding, he stands, then helps Laren up.

Letting him help her up, “I am sorry. But you know how transporter bounces are. If you miss one transfer, you are pretty close to SOL.”

“Computer! End Program.” The scene disappears, to be replaced by the black grid dimly lit with the faint energy threads comprising the holo projectors.

“Quite all right. I do understand.”

Standing in the empty hologrid, she looks at Charlie, “That was nice, though. I did not realize Earth had such vistas. It was truly breath taking.”

“Yes, we have many beautifull things that were improved with you.”

Tapping her badge as it chirps again, “Yes. I hear you! A few more seconds!”

Walks to where the clothes they had worn in were neatly folded and placed on the floor, picking them up, he hands Laren hers.

Chuckling as she accepts them, “I’m glad these clothes we’re wearing are real. I wouldn’t have thought of these. Thank you.”


Smiling, “That would have been a dirty to pull. To have holo clothes.”

Chuckling again, and calls for the arch, “Indeed it would have been.” Walks towards the opening, “And, I probably would have done it accidentally. I often forget about such trivialities.”

Smiling wryly, she steps out into the star base.

Smiling at her as he follows her through the opening, the watches her disappear in a transporter beam.