Icelandic Beauty

Posted on Sun Jul 28th, 2019 @ 10:47am by Ensign Lunara Hol

Mission: Episode 1: Hell is a four letter word
Location: Starfleet Academy Courtyard, Earth
Timeline: waiting for the Elysium to come to Earth
3395 words - 6.8 OF Standard Post Measure

'Some things never change', Lunara thought to herself. The unpredictability of Starfleet was one of those things. As she lay in the shade of a tree in the Academy courtyard, she looked back on the past couple of days. She had eagerly packed all her belongings the night before, only to learn that her assigned ship was indefinitely delayed - something to do with prisoners, her superiors were tight lipped about it. Still, here she was: a brand new, minted Academy graduate with nothing to do. "Stand by to stand by..."

And those cadets with their heads in the clouds were perfect targets, thought the nineteen-year old girl who was bored with her work in accounting and liked cruising for some fun after work. Inga's bag of tricks was nothing special but at least here there were always new people who could fall for them. She sneaked up to Lunara and attached a thin string to her uniform, and attached to that string was a very life-like looking snake puppet. Once she was sure it held, she circled round her and approached from the other side. "Hi, mind if I sit here for a bit?" she asked politely before plopping down on the bench beside Lunara.

"Of course, go ahead." She said, after she had already sat down. This girl was certainly direct. "Well, hello there, who are you?" She smiled.

"I'm Inga", she said. "I work over there." She pointed to the building in the opposite direction from Starfleet Academy. "I like to come here and watch the sunset."

"I'm Lunara, I just graduated from OCS. It's nice to meet you, Inga! What do you do here?"

"Resource allocation", she said. Which was what accounting had turned into now that it was no longer a question of money. "I make sure that..." she stopped, stood and backed off a step. Giving her best impression of a concerned voice, "Uhm, there's a snake in the grass behind you. Be careful."

"Hm?" She looked to see a snake next to her, but didn't look particularly alarmed. "Oh, hey there, little guy. Is this your tree? Sorry, I'll move over." She scooted over a bit, and saw the snake follow her. "What in the..." She scooted over a bit more, only to see the snake follow her again.

"Run!" Inga called.

"Oh, come on, it's just a little snake! It just won't... stop... following me!" She kept on scooting over, and the snake kept on following her.

Inga wondered if it would get better once she reached the end of the bench, since she wasn't looking? "They do that when they attack."

"Come on, shoo!" She got a little closer it to try and swat it away.

And with the swat, the string was caught by the hand, and so the snake was launched into the air, flying at Lunara. Inga had a very hard time keeping from laughing.

She squawked as she ducked out of the way, saying a couple of particularly rude words in Trill. "Urk! Shit!" She kicked at the snake, trying to drive it away.

Snickering, Inga couldn't restrain herself any more. "Those buggers are fast, aren't they?"

"Yes they are, especially when..." She leaned in a little closer to the 'snake'. "They're attached with a bit of string." She leaned in closer, picking it up by the filament and grinning. "Clever."

Inga laughed. "My favourite toy." She sat down on the bench again. "This type of snake isn't even native to this region. But it is venomous."

She blinked. "Oh, it is? ...I'm really glad it's not real, then." She chuckled. "Tell me, how many people have you pulled this on?"

"Uh, a few", Inga smirked. "Most of them are much more scared than you just were. And that's even though you're wearing your sign of gullibility."

She tilted her head. "Sign of... gullibility?"

"The single pip of an Ensign", Inga said. "That's what it's called." She grinned at her. "Pretty rich, coming from someone my age, no?"

She smirked. "Is that what they call it now?" She decided to play up the clueless Ensign act. "I've learned that younger looking people often know more than you think."

"Yeah, and especially Academy graduates, I'm not saying you don't", Inga agreed. "You're still perfect for having a little fun with."

"Well, you certainly got me." She grinned. "Maybe I should do something like that on my new ship? Oh, but they probably wouldn't like it if their counselor tried to make them panic." She lay down on the ground, pouting slightly.

"Or it might break the ice and they'll accept you as one of them more readily", Inga supposed. "But then, a leopard can't change her spots... or a Trill."

"Nor would I want to, they're my best feature." She winked. "But what do you mean by that? I'm afraid after all this time, some human expressions still escape me."

"It's probably in your nature by now to be a counsellor, try to be a voice of reason", Inga said. "I'm saying that you can't change your nature."

Lunara chuckled. "Oh, you can teach an old Trill new tricks. Besides, if I'm the voice of reason, my ship will be in for a whole lot worse than just rubber snakes."

"Hm, what about you join me for dinner and we'll share some of our ideas?" Inga proposed.

She smiled. "Right now? Sure, why not? I didn't have anything planned for tonight, anyway."

"What kind of food do you like?" Inga asked. "I know some good restaurants around here."

"Mm... Trill food, of course... but also Bolian, Vulcan, Andorian..." Anything but Earth food, really.

Inga couldn't resist making a face at the word 'Bolian', she was no fan of rotting meat. "There's an Andorian settlement in Antarctica, but we'd need some coats."

She chuckled. "Tell me, then, what do you like?"

"I love Andorian", Inga said. "So that's great. Come, I have a spare coat somewhere. I come from the northern polar region. Doesn't get quite as cold any more since we lost the polar ice caps but we occasionally still have something that warrants the word 'winter'."

She stood up, grinning. "If it's cold enough for the Andorians, I'd say it's still plenty cold."

"Oh, Antarctica is in the south", Inga said. "It's a land mass so it wasn't hit as much by climate change." She offered her hand to Lunara as she stood.

"Ah, sorry, I don't know much about Earth geography." She took the other woman's hand and pulled herself up. "So, then, where to next?"

"Transport pad", Inga said. "It'll get us to Iceland, where I live. I'll give you one of my old coats, it should fit you."

"Oh, is that all we need to do?" She grinned. "Well then, lead the way! I've been stuck in the dorms since I got here, I'd love to see more of this planet."

"Well, if you're willing to try Icelandic cooking, I'll show you one of the prettiest places on the planet", Inga suggested. "I live in a small village, Sudavik. Fjords, mountains, moors and heath. We've got it all. But you'd have to like either fish or sheep."

She smiled. She'd barely had any human food while she was on earth, who knew, she might like it. "I love fish! ...Of course, I've never had Earth fish before..."

"You can watch me prepare while you share your ideas, how's that?" Inga suggested as they walked into the building where she worked, approaching the transporter pad.

She grinned. "I'll do what I can, but don't expect too much."

"Can you send us to my home?" she asked the transporter operator, who only had to look up her ID for the computer to tell him the coordinates they wanted to go. Then to make sure the space wasn't currently occupied and the transport was underway.

When they materialised in the small house, it was still daylight outside, above the arctic circle in summer. "Welcome to Sudavik, my home. Place hasn't won any awards, like Norway, but it's still marvellous, no?" Big windows allowed a view of the sea on one side, and the rugged hills on the other. At the height of summer, all was in bloom and flocks of sheep dotted the landscape.

She whistled as she looked around. "I've never been to this part of the Earth before... this is beautiful, Inga."

"Few people want to live here", Inga said. "Most don't like the cold. But those of us who do, we love it." She walked into the kitchen and started with the food preparations. "So, are you joined?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm the third host. None of the past ones were particularly good at cooking, I'm afraid."

"You'll love these fish", Inga promised. And long before the food would be ready, the smells of cooking would whet anyone's appetite. "I cheat, though. No interest in waiting for the potatoes to cook, I replicate sliced, cooked ones and fry them up in the pan."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Don't feel bad about that, it's more than I usually do." She sniffed the air. "Ooh, that smells good! What's on the menu for tonight?"

"That all depends", Inga smirked. "For now, cod. Fried potatoes, too. A simple meal but you'll love it." The simple things, Inga thought, were better than some of the fanciest restaurant dishes.

Lunara smiled back. "I'm afraid whatever cooking skills I had didn't transfer over, or I'd cook some kind of Trill soup to go with it."

"You could start sharing your secrets instead?" Inga suggested.

She exhaled. "Well, where do I even begin?" It wasn't easy to find a place to start with two full lifetimes.

"The best bits?" Inga asked. Who knew how much time they'd have? She figured she might as well make the most of it.

She exhaled, sitting down. "Well... I was once an engineer in Starfleet, about 100 years ago."

"Was that back when there were blinking lights instead of properly marked buttons?" Inga asked. "With how hard it was to operate ships then, at least it was harder to be taken over by hostiles, no?"

"Oh, you can't believe all the horror stories, it wasn't nearly half as bad as people make it out. In fact, I think some things were better back then."

"My history teacher said that it's always a trade-off", Inga said. "As some things improve, others must deteriorate." She poked Lunara in the side. "But you've not shared a single trick yet."

She grinned. "Fine, fine. What would you like to hear? He battled the Klingons, made first contact, carried out rescues..."

"Pranks, Lunara", Inga laughed. "I'm sorry, I thought I had been more obvious."

"Oh!" She laughed. "I'm sorry, I'm still getting used to things. Well... there was one time we went into the world of a species that existed entirely within virtual reality." She grinned. "We were given admin access, and I... might have used that to convince some friends there was more than one of me."

"Oh, how to resist the temptation not to take over ruling that world?" Inga wondered. It was a great idea, she had to admit, but one she could hardly replicate.

She chuckled. "Oh, come on now, we were supposed to help them, not become their new overlords... although, it was pretty tempting. The real world seemed pretty boring in comparison."

"As a counsellor, you'll get lots of holodeck addicts, I take it?" Inga wondered. The smell of fried potatoes was now augmented by the fish, as well as several herbs that Inga had collected in the hills. True local cuisine, available nowhere else in the universe.

She nodded and leaned back. "You know, I've never given that too much thought, but... I'd imagine so, given how every starship has them these days." She closed her eyes, sniffing. "Ooh, that smells delicious." She normally didn't like earth foods - a trait she picked up after she was joined - but this was different.

Inga laid the table, complete with a sweet-smelling beeswax candle. She handed Lunara a bottle of white wine and a corkscrew before flipping the fish on its other side one final time. "Almost ready, too."

Lunara smirked. "You go all out, don't you?" She twisted in the corkscrew and pulled it off with a satisfying pop. "Where should I pour this?"

"I laid the table while you had your eyes closed", Inga said. It was right by the window overlooking the hillside. "We've had geothermal power here on Iceland long before the rest of the world switched to renewable, so our traditional homes now have large windows, even though that means they leak a lot of heat in the winter."

"You must have been ahead of the curve. It sounds like a fair trade, this view is incredible! It almost reminds me of my home back on Trill, actually." She smiled, moving over to the table and started pouring the wine. "Did you grow up around here?"

Inga nodded. "My parents and younger siblings live two houses down the road. I just needed to get my own place. You know, to have visitors in peace."

"I know how that can be. I love my family, but... everyone needs independence. Is there anything else you'd like me to do?"

"Just get comfortable", Inga said. She was already in the process of transferring the food from the pans to the plates. "And tell me, what would you add to a drink in order to make it more fun?"

"It depends on the drink, really. I'm fond of Tulaberries, myself." She pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Don't they dye your gums blue?" Inga asked. It was a rumour she'd heard, she'd never had any tulaberry wine, it was rare and hard to come by, certainly for a nineteen year-old accountant.

She grinned. "Not if you're careful. Of course, I haven't had any since I left New Hollywood..."

Moving in with the plates, Inga set them down between them before slipping into her seat. She raised her glass and said, "To beautiful pranks and a spotless record. You've got enough of those as is."

Lunara smiled and clinked the two glasses together. "I can drink to that." She took a sip of the wine, then looked down at the plate. "This looks delicious, I can't wait to try it!" She began to cut off a piece of the fish.

"Just the kind of basis you'll need to enjoy the midnight sun", Inga promised. It was still fairly cool outside, and some good food and wine worked wonders to stay warm.

It certainly did work wonders. "The midnight sun? We're so far north that it never sets, are we?" She took a bite of the fish. "Oh, this is delicious!"

Inga was glad her guest enjoyed the food. Between bites, she explained, "We're one of the few worlds that have an axial tilt where this phenomenon produces a part of the planet that's habitable."

"Mm, I see. I suppose that's responsible for your relatively extreme seasons as well?" She leaned back and groaned. "San Francisco in the summer is terrible."

"Anywhere south of here has terrible summers", Inga grinned. She took a sip of her wine. "And no winter to speak of."

Lunara took a sip as well and grinned. "I'd hate to see what you consider a winter, then. I once went to... where was it? Ah, Chicago! I went to Chicago for a movie premier once in January..." She shivered. "I don't ever want to go there again."

"Too much light pollution there", Inga said. "You can't see the northern lights. Might be colder than here, but not as pretty."

"Ah, there's no chance of seeing Earth's Auroras at this time of year, is there? It's a shame, I've heard they're among the most beautiful in the quadrant."

"You've been at Starfleet Academy for what, four years? And you've never been up north to take a look?" Inga wondered. With their meals finished, Inga took the bottle and her glass, as well as a huge, warm blanket, and opened the door. "Join me outside? I've got a swing chair that's perfect to view the wildlife from."

She shook her head. "No, I actually earned my degree from the University of Betazed. I went through Officer Candidate School, three months without a lot of down time." She smiled as she stepped outside. "What are we going to see?"

"Who knows?" Inga said. "That's half the fun." She led her to a wooden swing chair, painted white for easier cleaning, and draped the blanket over it, with plenty hanging down over the sides. "Get comfortable. It'll soon be warm, don't worry."

She chuckled. "I've been to too many places where the wildlife tried to eat me, is there anything here I should look out for?"

"The most dangerous animal on this island is a human", Inga smirked. "Beyond that, arctic foxes, about yay big."

She grinned. "Oh, that shouldn't be a problem. ...They're not venomous, are they?"

"No, they're not", Inga laughed. "And there are no snakes here either. Come on, just sit."

"You can never be too careful, not even on Earth." She sat down next do Inga, squinting as she tried to spot out different animals.

Inga brought in her half of the blanket to cover her, leaving only her right arm and glass of wine above, then she put her left arm around Lunara's shoulder and folded the other half of the blanket over as well. That way, it was snug and cozy. "The closer you get to the tropics, the more dangerous the flora and fauna. Don't ask me why, it's just always been that way."

Lunara stiffened almost imperceptibly as Inga put her arm around her, but quickly relaxed. She sat there kind of awkwardly for a second, not sure if she should do the same. "...It must be unique to Earth, then, I've been chased by giant worms in the frozen northern parts of planets."

Inga laughed. "Right, chased by a worm. This isn't Dune, you know?"

Lunara rolled her eyes. "I'm serious! We were exploring ice caves on a frozen planet."

"You needn't worry about anyone chasing you around here", Inga promised. She pointed in the distance. "But there come the foxes." And sure enough, right outside the Arctic Fox Centre, which was a museum and research institute into the Icelandic environment, rather than just the arctic fox, a wild individual could be seen hunting for small rodents.

Her face lit up. "Oh, it's adorable! Are they friendly?"

"They're wild, and stay at a distance", Inga said. "They're afraid of humans." She took another sip. "And I think, they'd be afraid of Trills, too, even cute ones."

"Aw, that's too bad. What a shame." She pouted playfully. "Do you have any binoculars out here?"

"In the house", Inga said. "But I don't feel like getting up right now." She winked.

"Don't bother then, I wouldn't want you to miss this." She stretched her legs out and groaned. "It's so beautiful out here."

Inga wondered whether she was toying with her, or truly oblivious to her intentions? "My very own romantic get-away, and I can even call it home."

"Romantic get-away, hm?" She chuckled. She was oblivious, all right.

"Isn't it?" Inga asked. Her fingertips traced Lunara's spots, from her temples and down the cheek.

Lunara gasped softly and turned to face her. "You meant... me?"

"You think I stuck the snake to you just to scare you a bit?" Inga wondered. "You're about to leave for your great adventure, for the second time you say, but you've got one night to spend in sensual pleasure, that can't be so bad."

She stammered. "I-I'm sorry, but I don't think I can do that." She moved to stand up.

"Then, why did you come out here with me?" Inga wondered.

"I didn't know it would evolve into this. I'm sorry if I led you on."

"I hope you're a little better at reading people in your day job", Inga remarked, not without spite.

Lunara nodded. "Me too. I'll be seeing you, Inga." She left the house.

Inga grumbled. This could have been a fun night. 'Better luck next time', she thought.