Planning a Trip

Posted on Sat Aug 10th, 2019 @ 8:06am by Senior Chief Petty Officer Fernando De La Rosa [Taylor]

Mission: Mission 2: Heaven On Earth
Location: Fernando's and Mona's Cabin
Timeline: day after the birthday party
1137 words - 2.3 OF Standard Post Measure

"Fernando, I want you to take me on a camping trip", Mona said as she walked into their quarters. "It's your world, where on Earth is a good place to
go?"

"A camping trip?" He questioned, "Okay, how far away from civilization do you want to be?"

"As far as can be, on this world?" Mona asked. She wasn't sure there were places left on Earth where one would truly be away and alone in the middle of the wilderness, and that the few places like that, if they existed, were probably protected zones and one wasn't allowed to camp in them. But Earth was a planet she hadn't been to, and there had to be some way to be able to enjoy the place, she was determined.

"Alright. We can go to the Amazon rain forest. we can camp there. There's a beam in site just off the actual rain forest and we can hike in."

"Rainforest, hm?" Mona smirked. "You want me to be wet all over?" She grabbed her watertight rucksack and started checking what she had. "Okay, tricorder, knife, tent, change of clothes tropical", she started, putting some clothes by the wayside and putting in others that looked like little more than a bikini. "Toiletries biodegradable, communicator, small medkit... anything else? What can we eat in the rainforest?"

"It doesn't rain all the time Mona." He explained and continued. " Sure fish, some fruit, insects if you're into that. Maybe they will let us hunt. Then we need our rifles."

Mona shook her head. "No, let's not. Live and let live, right?" But she remembered something. "Insect repellent, and a lamp for at night. And these straws, they sterilise water while drinking."

"Remember that when a lion starts to eat you." Fernando quipped.

"Okay, we'll take a hand phaser", Mona relented. "Can't have that."

"Nor can I. Fair enough." Fernando agreed.

"Not that I mind being nibbled on", Mona smirked. "But those teeth are a bit sharp."

"Indeed they are." Fernando grinned, "I am suddenly getting very hungry. I need something to nibble on."

Mona snickered. "You book us a trip, I'll get us dinner."

"Consider it done. How long do you wish to be one with nature?" Fernando asked.

"How long have we got?" Mona asked. "Let's take as much time as we can? Who knows when they'll recall us next. We didn't get a chance on Bajor, we'll have to grasp this one by the throat and throttle it for all it's worth." She paused. "That's the idiom you humans use, right?"

"We have four weeks. Do you really want to spend four weeks in the woods?" He nodded "Yes."

"You don't?" Mona asked.

"Just making sure Mona." He assured her.

"Besides, how likely do you think it is we'll really get four weeks?" Mona asked.

"Not very. More like two maybe three." He agreed. "Okay I'll make it for four weeks."

"You'll love it, I promise", Mona said.

"I love anything that I do with you Mona." Fernando answered, "Any extra time we have together is a bonus."

"So, who will feed our fish?" Mona wondered.

"No one. I'll get several of those automatic feeders that dissolve over time in water and release food so the fish will be fed. Oh! We need at least one fishing pole so we can fish. A collapsible one so it doesn't take up a lotta space."

"A fishing pole?" Mona asked. "I look forward to a demonstration." For some reason, she had much less of a problem fishing than she did hunting.

"I'll be glad to give you one Mona. You may even find you like it." Fernando replied. as he went into the other room to book their camping trip. Moments later he returned. "We're all set. We have a reservations for a four week camping trip." He said a bright smile on his face.

"Excellent", Mona said. She quickly changed into more appropriate attire, which for the climate they were going into meant shorts, a loosely fitting shirt and a pair of socks with reinforced soles, to give her the feeling of walking barefoot without the danger of stepping on something sharp. Shouldering her rucksack, she walked out the door. "Rainforest, here we come!" She was clearly excited, completely forgetting about her earlier intention to see about dinner.

"Um Mona wait. Aren't you forgetting something?" Fernando prompted. "And I still have to change." He added.

"Hm? Forgetting? Oh, the food!" Mona laughed, turned around and asked. "What would you like to have? Sorry, I guess I'm just a little excited after all these months of being on the ship, and no time to explore on Cortic."

Fernando chuckled, "What ever you feel like making." As he disappeared into the bedroom to change. He returned a few moments later dressed in shorts a Hawaiian shirt, hiking boots and holding something behind his back. "How do I look?"

"Like an adventurer who's missing his hat", Mona grinned. In this short time, she had turned the holographic display into an oven and was already preparing pizza, though not in the traditional Italian style but with any number of exotic vegetables that nature had never meant to go together. She knew from experience, however, that that was the kind of food that would sustain them for a long walk. Who knew when they'd find something next? It was part of the fun but it never hurt to be prepared.

"Funny you should mention hat." As he brought his hands from behind his back and showed her the two pith hats he was holding. "Now we look like adventurers." He said. He sniffed the air, "That smells good. What is it?"

"Perfect, and pizza", Mona said. She put a liberal amount of targ cheese on it. It was flavourful and not as fattening as the kind she knew from Earth. "Well, sort of pizza. You don't mind sliced livaonian beets? Goes well with aubergine."

"I don't know." Fernando admitted, "I never had either of those. This is all new to me. However I am willing to try."

Mona put the huge pizza in the oven, then put her arm around Fernando as they were waiting. "Yes, you're willing to try. That's one of the things I like about you."

Fernando smiled and held her close. "Only like? I believe you have wounded me Mona." He teased.

"The Commodore was right, you know?" Mona giggled.

"About me being Casanova?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"About you having your hands full with me", Mona said.

"It is a challenge I gladly accept." Fernando countered.

"Besides, by Orion standards, Casanova was an amateur", Mona added. "But please, keep it up, I'm enjoying every minute of it."

"I intend to my Orion Rose." He whispered as he kissed her cheek.