Return to Mount Tarin (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on 04 Nov 2024 @ 6:26pm by Commander Morgan Tarin & Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeysa Zeror

2,075 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 20 - Reconstruction
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 5, Holodeck 1
Timeline: MD 03, 0308 hrs

Previously, on Return to Mount Tarin (Part 1)...

"This tank top was a very bad idea." Jeysa remarked as she attempted to get the heavy pack onto her back, its nearly half her body weight proving very awkward to get positioned correctly. She knew it wouldn't take long until its fabric and rough straps would begin to dig into her mostly exposed flesh.

"Your sweat will lubricate your shoulders," dryly jested the captain who would also have to deal with similar discomfort. "Let's go."

And Now, the Conclusion...

[ON]

The march commenced with science officer at the head of the group followed by the captain, yeoman then security chief. The summit of the large geological ridge was composed of relatively-even yet broken and dispersed pieces of ancient volcanic rock which crunched beneath the combined footsteps of the quad until the vertical incline began to steepen after a distance of approximately two kilometers. The sulfuric-heavy atmosphere wasn't pleasant to breathe or smell but it contained enough oxygen for them to make due. The heat on the other hand... The overcast and ash-laden storm cells in the sky above them blocked out the nearby sun and his the shimmering heat waves emanating from the earth from visual view. Hell was a relative concept depending on the species and an its individual's religious beliefs - yet there were certainly similarities to presently be made by anyone with an acute enough mind.

Within the first kilometer Jeysa was already sweating considerably "This is definitely not what I signed up for when I left the diplomatic corps." She remarked as she trudged up the rocky surface.

Tarin's interest in the petty officer's statement sparked her curiosity while she continued to navigate the uneven ground beneath their feet. "What exactly were you expecting? A routine of paperwork and administrative meetings?" Zeror wouldn't be alone if that was the case, and there were quite a few number of personnel within Starfleet who preferred such duties.

Jeysa wanted to say 'yes', it was part of her job description but the reason she was here was for speaking her mind in the first place. "I expected physical training yes sir, but not doing it by hauling nearly half my body weight up a mountain that's hot as hell and smells like a dead animal."

The captain slowed to allow the petty officer to catch up to her then paced alongside the blond woman. "And what exactly is your preferred form of physical training? A casual day hike through the Risian orchid fields? Followed by a run across the beach in the nude?" The intonality of her question was perhaps even more dry than her regular speech.

Shaking her head slightly Jeysa turned her head to look at her boss. "I like my running and things like that yes Sir but I prefer swimming, could have been a professional swimming if I'd wanted to." She told her 'you'd know this if you ever talked to me casually' she thought.

The chomp of rocky sediment beneath their shoes and the distant overhead rumbling of thunder within the cloud-stricken sky provided a soothing auditory distraction from their increasing physical exertion. Swimming? Tarin looked back over at Zeror with an inquisitive stare. "For someone who prefers to spend their time in water, serving aboard a starship is certainly a choice. Have you thought about participating in an officer exchange with the Xindi? I hear the Aquatics find Trills and their symbionts rather fascinating."

Jeysa chuckled. "I haven't but it could be interesting. There were a lot of swimming pools close to the embassy I served at on Rigel VII before coming here and the ocean was only a hour or so away. Holodecks aren't bad but nothing beats the feel of real water against your skin."

"They're the closest you'll find out here, unfortunately. Don't dare think of using the duck pond in the arboretum for any such activity," warned the captain in half-jest. "Do you have an affinity for any other sports?" she then queried the yeoman.

"Mostly athletics, I can average a six minute mile... Over normal terrain." Jeysa said emphasizing the 'normal' as she clambered over a small series of rocks, nearly losing her balance a couple of times as the weight of nearly half her body weight on her back pulled her all over the place.

Tarin resisted the temptation to roll her eyes while she trudged up the increasingly-steep hill face. "I said 'sports', Zeror, not just running. Being the best at exercising hardly qualifies in my book." It was a subtle yet important difference the commander liked to reinforce. Not that PT - including stamina training - was irrelevant. Far from it. But sports were games played with a physical element and not simply the mere act of one without the other.

"When I wasn't in the water I played a lot of volleyball, proved quite popular there." Jeysa replied. "One of the Orion aides at the embassy tried to teach me dance fighting." She paused as she remembered that particular activity and the night they'd spent 'practicing' afterwards. "Was quite an interesting activity."

"Dance fighting?" Tarin became momentarily distracted while attempting to discern which 'sport' that referred to. Her toe caught on a small outcrop of volcanic rock and she stumbled slightly before recovering. "You mean Magrola tabadi?" she finally asked when the name of the Capoeira-esque martial art came to her. "I thought that was only taught exclusively to Orions and not outsiders?"

"Emphasis on tried, I wasn't very good at it and I think she used it more as a reason to get me in some really revealing outfits and dance for her." Jeysa said with a slight chuckle. "She was a.... very hands on instructor."

A hard side-eye emanated from Tarin who privately understood the private connotations of what the petty officer subtly conveyed. "I see." Their collective pace began to quicken with Valenis and Illialhlae moving in tandem with the captain and yeoman. A prominent sheen of sweat now coated their collective faces and torsos, creating growing wet spots within their garments. "Do you miss it? Your consulate assignment?"

"Well the ambassador didn't make me carry a heavy ass rucksack up a volcano, so right now I am missing it." Jeysa remarked, said heavy ass rucksack giving her a reminder every few steps as it rubbed her skin raw. "But I've done things here I'd never have done there. Explored past the core planets, encountered Tholians, had to shoot someone for real. Things like that."

A private smirk spread across Tarin's lips at the yeoman's use of colorful language. "I'm not in the habit of creating soft officers, Zeror. A deployment like this is tough on the mind and the body. I need all of us to be prepared and in the best shape possible." She paused to consider the second half of the blond woman's statement. The exploration and peril they'd collectively engaged in during her short tenure as Galileo's commanding officer. "Would you go back? Right now, if you had a chance to get on a shuttle and leave the ship to return to Earth?"

"I...." Jeysa began but a lucky unforeseen cluster of rocks she nearly stumbled over gave her a little more time to consider her answer, unsure if it was a trick question or not. Knowing how Tarin had reacted in the past a response either way could potentially end badly. "I am not sure." She eventually said. "I miss the stability of it, and the scenery but the not knowing what is about to happen is exciting, that every day could be different."

A silent rumination from Galileo's captain ensued while the group continued to ruck up toward the summit. By her estimation, they'd reach the peak within the next twenty minutes. Not a bad pace thus far. "No one I've ever personally known joined Starfleet for 'stability'. The opposite, in fact. This isn't an organization that caters to personal preferences or promotes a sedentary lifestyle. Out here, serving aboard a starship? This is what we all knew we'd face at some point in our careers." The words weren't spoken in a lecturing manner but instead matter-of-factly in her distinctive try tonality. "You won't be able to grow as an individual if you stay in one place too long. Life's short and it shouldn't be wasted at a desk job dealing with a tiny portion of the quadrant."

"That's why I applied for a ship assignment," Jeysa paused for a few moments to take a slurp from her canteen. "I was on Rigel VII for 3 years. Explored every bit of that world and its incredible culture but wanted to see some more of the galaxy."

"You applied to this ship..." A bizarre choice in Tarin's mind. "Out of all the available ship postings...you chose Galileo? Why?" Commanding a Nova-class starship had never been a desire for the captain and she struggled to see the inherent appeal of what the small ship had to offer.

"I could have picked something a little bigger, if I'd wanted to spend nearly a month in a civilian transport or a runabout getting there. The Galileo was closer and...." Jeysa sighed slightly, she missed Lirha. "Knowing Orions as I do I thought having an Orion Captain would make me and her mesh easier."

A mistake. One often made by cadets and junior NCOs who pursued personal relationships over duty. One was often fleeting while the other was more permanent in nature. "So Captain Saalm was the reason you transferred," Tarin inferred. The continuing crunch of volcanic bedrock lessened as the ground became more stable the closer they approached to the hill's summit. "Consider it a lesson learned - personalities come and go but starships are eternal. One of my first COs passed that advice down to me when I was an ensign and I'm returning the favor, now, to you."

"It influenced my choice of ship a little yes but wasn't my sole reason for transferring to a starship assignment." Jeysa replied somewhat annoyed that Tarin thought that was the main reason.

"If you say so." The captain wasn't convinced but ultimately it wasn't her prerogative to discern the truth of why one of her crew had chosen to serve aboard the ship. Not when it was seemingly inconsequential, at least. "You'll be out here for a long time. Both of us. Make sure you make the most of it and don't leave any of your cards on the table."

'You really sure you want that.' Jeysa thought as she trudged up the hill though the summit never seemed to look any close. "How much further?"

Tarin raised her head up and shielded her eyes against a crack of lightning in the near distance while she visually estimated their progress. "We'll summit in about twenty minutes if we stay at this pace. Fifteen if we pick it up." The muscles in her long and toned legs flexed with each step and continued to crumble the uneven earth beneath her feet. "Your call, Zeror." Would the yeoman be content to do the bare minimum? Or push herself above and beyond to her limits. That was ultimately the heart of this exercise - to evaluate individual fortitude. Or the lack thereof.

"Not sure I have twenty minutes left in me," Jeysa said then unintentionally emphasised her point by almost completely falling over a rock she missed the edge of when she tried to step on it, her tired aching leg muscles protesting continuing much further.

A quick-reacting hand from Tarin snapped out and snatched the back of the yeoman's ruck sack then stabilized her colleague before pulling her upright. "It's time to dig deep. It'll be harder on the descent - that's where most injuries occur due to fatigue. Let's move...a storm's coming in." A bass-filled rumble rippled through their bodies while the already-cloudy sky began to darken above them. Ashen volcanic remains descended from the atmosphere and started to coat their bare arms while a light trickling of rain commenced. The exercise was about to become an order of magnitude more difficult.

[OFF]

--

CMDR Morgan Tarin
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo-A

PO3 Jeysa Zeror
Yeoman
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Mimi]

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