We've Got a Hot Crustacean Band

Posted on Mon Jun 22nd, 2020 @ 3:22am by Cailus Griffin & Lieutenant Commander Mindo & Lieutenant Kalin Brennan-Griffin PhD & Eva Griffin
Edited on on Tue Jul 7th, 2020 @ 2:35pm

Mission: Into the Wild
Location: Under the Sea (and over) in Holodeck 2
Timeline: Current

A Mission Post by Lieutenant Mindo & Lieutenant Cailus Griffin & Lieutenant Kalin 'Shae' Brennan PhD & Aoife Brennan
Mission: Into The Wild
Location: Under the Sea (and over) in Holodeck 2
Timeline: current
Sat Mar 24th, 2018 @ 11:00pm

Mindo walked down the corridor headed to Holodeck 2, a lavish beach towel draped over his shoulder and sunglasses on his eyes. He wore green swimshorts and a white t-shirt, and had left his LEGs back in his quarters as they wouldn't be much use to him in the water. On his way he made one check at the Palace, his new arcade establishment, and was happy to see a few people enjoying themselves.

He arrived at the Holodeck about twenty minutes early, so he could make sure his beach and ocean simulation was just right. He started the program then went inside, calling for the arch that would have the Holodeck's control panel on it. He punched in a few settings, one was water safety, which prevented anyone from drowning, and he also adjusted the temperature of the water to be a bit warmer and the atmosphere to be sunny and hot. He disabled the UV settings for the sun, as he was going for light effect and not actual solar effect. Then he programmed the different types of fish to be in the water. The biggest he computed was a little less than half Aoife's size. He left out sharks, manta rays, and jellyfish, as they might be a little too scary (though harmless with the safety measures on).

With a few minutes left, Mindo disabled the arch and headed onto the beach, the ocean waves roaring back and forth in an endless blue sea. A subtle smell of salt and fish was in the air, and there was a slight warm breeze. Moving his sunglasses back over his face, Mindo spread out his blanket and laid down on the beach, a few feet from the water's reach. "Computer," he said after a few seconds, "add sea bird program Mindo three." Birds appeared in the sky and flew in random patterns around each other; some of them swooped down to the sand and hopped about, chirping as they did so.

Mindo breathed in deep and exhaled. Shae's idea for an ocean trip had been a good idea. He closed his eyes and waited for his guests.

Aoife was so excited! She had heard 'beach' and 'fish' and her mum had dressed her in a brightly colored swimsuit with a sundress over top, she was going swimming, how could she not be excited!

"Be still, you little wiggle worm!" Shae exclaimed with a laugh as she and Cailus made their way through the corridors to the holodeck. Shae was also wearing swimwear under her sundress, the same white two piece she had worn the last time she went swimming with Mindo, and she carried Aoife on her hip while Cailus had the bag with their towels. "I know you're excited, just chill, we'll be there soon!"

“She’s going to go berserk when she sees it,” Cailus said wryly, although there was a glint of amusement in his eye as he watched Aoife’s excitement. He too was wearing much more casual clothing than usual, just a simple loose t-shirt and shorts with some maroon trunks underneath. It felt damned strange to be walking through the corridors of a starship in such clothing, although he was starting to get used to such oddness.

As they arrived at the holodeck, Cailus paused as he reached for the door controls, looking over at Aoife with a smile. “Are you ready to see what Mindo has planned, Aoife?”

Aoife chirped with excitement; yes yes, let's go, hurry, let's go!

Shae chuckled at Aoife's exuberance, and as the doors finally opened, there was the beach! Stepping in, it was pleasantly hot and she could smell the salt in the breeze; nothing could ever quite replace a real-life beach, but this was so damned close that she didn't care! Shae lowered Aoife to the sand, and together they wiggled their toes and giggled at the feel of the sand between their toes.

"Hello there!" said Mindo, sitting up and walking toward his guests. "Welcome to the beach!" He took off his sunglasses and tossed them on his towel. "Nice day, isn't it?"

"Hey!" Shae greeted with a smile. She stepped closer, holding tight to Aoife's hand to help her stay steady as she toddled along on unsteady legs beside her, and when she was close enough Shae gave Mindo a hug, which Aoife was all too happy to do as well. "Oh, it so beautiful, and perfect weather for swimming," she answered, scanning the horizon of seemingly endless blue. "Thanks for letting us visit your program; I know we were doing this for Aoife and the fish, but I think a little relaxation is much needed for all of us."

“Agreed,” Cailus said, and while he neither hugged Mindo nor smiled at him, the look he gave the Fesarian was quite friendly. He set the bag down next to the chair and looked out at the ocean with clear appreciation as well.

Mindo pointed away from the shore. "If you remember, there's a small cliff over there that can easily be climbed, though I think we'll probably stick to the ocean. Is the climate too hot? I set it at about eighty-four degrees."

"It's great, the temperature is just right," Shae said. "And I think we'll skip the climbing, that would be too much for Aoife." At the mention of Aoife, Shae pulled the little sundress of Aoife's head to reveal her little swimsuit. At such a prompt, Aoife was practically pulling Shae towards the water before Shae could remove her own dress. "Just a second, little one!" she said with a laugh as she struggled to hold onto Aoife and remove her dress. Shae was still shy about being seen in swimwear, so she blushed when her little halter top and boy-shorts were no longer covered by the sundress. "Okay, let's go!" she said to Aoife, and together they toddled along to the water where Aoife eagerly splashed her way in, utterly fearless.

Cailus, now grinning widely at Aoife’s enthusiasm and Shae’s struggle to keep up with her daughter, glanced at Mindo as he took off his own shirt and shorts. Cailus himself was wearing a conservatively long pair of maroon trunks, along with a long, wide scar that stretched diagonally across with his chest. “If you’ve never seen Aoife swim before, you’re in a for a treat,” he said cheerfully to the Fesarian in a tone utterly at odds with his normal demeanour. “She’d spend all her time in the water if we let her.”

"I almost forgot!" said Mindo, snapping his fingers. "Computer, snorkeling tools, four sets, two large, two small." Just then, four sets of snorkeling equipment, face masks and breather tubes, materialized on the ground at Mindo's feet. Mindo tossed Cailus the two larger sized gear and picked up the two smaller sets. "We'll need these to see the fish!" he said as he and Cailus began a swift walk into the water.

Aoife was already happily paddling along in the shallow surf with Shae standing nearby; the water felt absolutely wonderful and she could feel all the recent tension melting out of her! Then she saw Cailus and Mindo approaching with snorkel gear. She took the small mask and got Aoife's attention; once Aoife was back on her feet, Shae managed to get the mask on her, but Aoife seemed to have trouble figuring out what to do with the snorkel, and not wanting to encourage Aoife to breath in water, Shae simply removed the snorkel entirely. Then she took her own gear from Cailus and began to pull Aoife to deeper water where they would be able to see the fish better.

And see the fish they did! Mindo had programmed hundreds of different kinds of fish. There were small, sleek white ones swimming in a wavy formation, a few yellow fish with blue tails... at one point, a bigger fish, about the size of Shae's fist, swam up to Aoife and seemed to be examining her. The fish was bobbing back and forth, and was silver with navy blue stripes. Aoife reached out to touch it and it swam away fast.

Aoife was endlessly delighted at all the colorful fish, Shae was trying to make a mental note of everything that seemed to fascinate Aoife, but there were a lot of fish! And there was one that they would later learn was a parrot fish and it actually seemed to enjoy being petted. Of all the craziness in the galaxy, a fish that liked being pet! But the vast array was certainly giving Shae some good ideas for where to start with their tank.

There were even more fish further out, as the water got deeper. Mindo wasn't very worried about Aoife as his program was designed specifically with someone of Aoife's size in mind. And if she breathed in the water by accident, the water in her throat would disappear immediately thanks to the safety precautions. Mindo had thought of everything. Aoife was perfectly safe here.

Shae was finding herself pleasantly surprised by the set of lungs on Aoife; the junior swimmer only surfaced when she needed to and seemed to be able to hold her breath a lot longer that Shae had thought possible for someone of her age. Just how much time was Aoife spending in the pool during her therapy anyway?! But in between dives, Aoife was pure excitement and laughter, chattering incoherently with Shae and making her laugh. For Shae, it was pure joy to see Aoife so engaged in an activity.

Mindo and Cailus stayed a few yards back, Mindo now floating in the water and Cailus up to his stomach.

"She's not shape-shifting, like Shae does," Mindo observed.

“We don’t know if she can yet,” Cailus replied, and he paused to dip his head into the water to properly drench it. Emerging to see Aoife laughing in delight at something she saw in the water, he grinned automatically. “We know it could be years away, if ever, but that’s fine. We’ll love her to bits regardless. If she ever does shapeshift, though, it’ll be somewhere like this that she does it for the first time.”

"Why is that?" asked Mindo.

Glancing at the Fesarian as he floated there, Cailus’ grin faltered slightly, although the grin became a genuine small smile at the memory. “Aoife used to be very different. Much less confident, more closed off, didn’t smile as much. I only really got to know her when we went on shoreleave to Mars and Earth. One day Shae had to report somewhere, so Aoife’s grandmother and I took her to the beach.” He watched Aoife with a wistful expression, his arms moving through the water casually. “She was so happy when we took her to the sea. Even when she fell down, she was laughing. I think it might’ve been one of the happiest experiences of her life, since she’s loved the water so much ever since.”

Mindo smiled as he watched Aoife and Shae together, having fun. "Sometimes I think about what it would be like to have a child," he said to Cailus. "What kind of father I'd be... I have no idea what the big deal is with raising kids. But when I see Aoife..." he paused, watching Aoife laugh and smile.

"I don't know," Mindo said at last. "I'm probably just being stupid."

Now Cailus regarded Mindo with a look of total seriousness, the gentle lapping of the water and Shae’s encouragement to Aoife the only sounds around them. “I thought the same way before Victoire...my daughter...before she was born.” There was a tightness in Cailus’ voice as he spoke. “Being a father to Victoire, and now to Aoife...I don’t know how to explain it. I’m not skilled with poetic language like you and Shae. I just know that having a child, watching them grow and challenge the world, being a parent to them...there’s nothing that can compare. Nothing. It’s the greatest adventure that you can ever embark on, and the most worthwhile.”

Mindo watched as Aoife looked up from the water, the look in her and Shae's eyes as they shared a moment, smiling and laughing.

"I guess I'm afraid I'll turn into my own dad," said Mindo. "Anyway, who can I have a baby with out here? Not many Fesarians in the Federation." Mindo knew to be a father he'd have to go back home, to Fesaria. His genetic makeup didn't mesh with other races. He couldn't have kids out here if he tried... and technically he had, many times.

"You're lucky," Mindo said quietly. He didn't hear his words, however; and it was only a second later he wondered if he'd even said anything at all.

It was about that time that Shae and Aoife were starting to come back closer to the shore; despite her enjoyment of swimming, it was still a tiring activity, and Aoife was still building up her stamina, so Shae made the executive decision to take a small break, and while Aoife caught her second wind, they would be able to jot down a list of all the fish that she liked best.

Mindo smiled big when Aoife saw him. "Did you like the fish, Aoife?" he said. "Was it fun?" He paddled with them to get to shore, finding his footing quickly and walking onto the beach.

Aoife started sounding off with all manner of chatters and chirps to express her elation at all the amazing things she had seen, and Shae could barely keep up with everything Aoife had to say. "Ah, she had fun," Shae translated simply. Once the water was down to Aoife's hips, Shae had to take her hand to keep her steady so the little fox-child could continue to walk out. Both mother and daughter were looking slightly less attractive with their normally full hair and bushy tails looking a bit soggy. "She was just getting a little sluggish, so we're going to take a quick break, maybe get some juice, then do some more swimming. How does that sound, Aoife?" Aoife chirped happily, and once they made it to the beach chairs, Shae dug around in their beach bag for a lidded tumbler that already had Aoife favorite juice in it.

Following behind, Cailus most certainly did look good as he emerged from the water, although he tried not draw attention to himself. Instead he called out as he walked up the beach, “Computer, give us a barbecue and replicate some uncooked beef steaks, as well as the salads and breads typically used for burgers.”

A barbecue duly appeared next to Shae and Aoife, along with the various accoutrements required for what Cailus has in mind. Reaching the barbecue, Cailus looked over to Mindo, gesturing for the Fesarian to follow him. “Best that we both do this. I haven’t done barbecue in a long time, no matter how you measure it.”

"I've never barbecued before," said Mindo, approaching the grill. "But I'm ready to learn."

“Me too,” Cailus muttered distractedly in reply, examining the barbecue carefully as he knelt down. The ever enigmatic computer had given them a strangely primitive red-and-black design, one more at home in the 21st or 22nd centuries than present day, but Cailus decided to roll with it. Between him and Mindo, two skilled and experienced officers, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get done. “The only time I ever did one of these was on Bastille Day in Paris, 2285, but we got so wild that evening that I remember very little. Now let’s...okay, it’s a solid fuel barbecue, which means that black substance has to be the fuel, and that has to be the ignition source. I’ll lay out the fuel, you ignite it.”

Cailus did as he said, then Mindo hit the ignition source. Immediately the fuel ignited, a gust of fire shooting up into Cailus' face (Mindo's face did not reach the grill).

Thankfully for all involved, Cailus’ reactions were lightning fast, avoiding the burst of flame by the simple precedent of leaning back a little, only feeling a light prickle where the embers fell against his face. The holodeck safety protocols would’ve ensured that no harm was done, although as he swiftly laid out some burgers on the grill, Cailus half wondered how. The fire sure as hell felt real enough.

Realising that Shae and Aoife might be concerned, Cailus raised a hand at them in reassurance. “Everything is fine,” he said confidently, laying out some burgers on the grill. Closely watching the progress of the fire beneath the meat, he nodded in satisfaction as he looked to Mindo. “Simple enough, as it turns out.”

Shae was shocked to see the flames shoot up, but she ended up chuckling slightly at Cailus' reaction. "I was about to ask if you still had both eyebrows over there," she said in response. It felt good to laugh so easily, and even better to be so relaxed and at ease.

Burgers were consumed, and after a brief rest to digest they were back in the water to see more fish. But all good things must eventually come to an end; their time in the holodeck was nearly up, so they returned from the water to relax in the beach chairs once more to dry off. Aoife was so worn out that she almost immediately fell asleep in Cailus' arms while the adults watched the sun slowly sink into the sea and set the sky ablaze with a myriad of colors.

"Thank you so much for letting us use your program," Shae said softly to Mindo. "This was a wonderful idea and if there's any way we can repay the favor, you just have to ask," she offered in return.

"You're welcome," said Mindo. "It was fun for me too! And little Aoife will be sleeping for quite some time I bet."

"Yes, I think she will be sleeping quite well tonight," Shae replied with a smile as she looked over at Aoife sleeping soundly in Cailus' arms. "I knew she loved the water, but I never could have guessed that she would be like this. I enjoyed swimming as much as anyone else as a wee lass, but she is like a fish out of water."

“Undoubtedly,” Cailus agreed quietly, although with Aoife using his t-shirted torso as a bed, he was somewhat restricted in his movements. Still, he glanced at Mindo with a rare, honest look. “Mindo, about before...I don’t know if this will be worth anything from me, given our history, but you are genuinely good with Aoife. Better than most. If the day comes that you want to go back to Fesaria to raise a family, I believe you would do well.”

Mindo smiled and held out his bottle of beer. "Cheers... to family."

"To family," Shae echoed with a smile, raising her own glass of fizzy melon soda.

“To family,” Cailus finished, gingerly raising his own glass.