Making Memories - Part Two

Posted on 07 Apr 2016 @ 5:21am by Ensign Aidan Crehan & Senior Chief Petty Officer Mila Rasputin

4,981 words; about a 25 minute read

Mission: Outbreak
Location: New Risa
Timeline: MD-5

“Yes,” said Aidan, “a dual line; I will be instructing her.” He was wearing a pair of red swim trunks and a loose-fitting blue shirt. It was currently unbuttoned and blowing the breeze.

“Our last training line is currently out,” said Paran, the shop owner. “But if I’m not wrong,” he checked the schedule, “it will be back in about ten minutes.” He looked up that two young people. “Care to wait? There’s a bench out front.”

Aidan looked to Mila. “Ten minutes?”

Mila stood in a white one piece bikini with the wind blowing her hair and she nodded. "Ten minutes is fine with me. This is going to be exciting!"

“Terrific,” said Paran. “I will call for you when the pilot has returned.” He headed to the back to get two floatation devices and two sets of equipment ready.

Aidan looked to Mila. “I am glad that you are so excited about doing this.” He held out his arm and allowed her to exit the shop’s archway first. “I can’t wait for you to experience this. It is exhilarating.”

"I am looking forward to it," she said. "I have a lifetime of experiences ahead of me and I want to know each one of them firsthand."

Aidan sat down on the bench just outside of the shop. The trees were tall, providing little shade over the bench. But the breeze was nice and cool. “I am glad that I could be a part of this firsthand experience,” said Aidan. Truth be told, he hoped that he would be a par to many more of her experiences, firsthand or not. Aidan was enjoying all of his time spent with Mila. Though he didn’t know how it would work out when they got back to the ship and on duty; spending time together, that is. They would both be very busy in their respective departments and then there was the whole Cadet and Senior NCO thing. But that was for another day and time. Right now was important. Mila was important.

He turned to her and said, “Perhaps after this we can go swimming. We will already be dressed for it and at the beach. I believe that was something you said that you liked to do?”

"Da," Mila said with a smile. "Swimming was a luxury on the moon. We had indoor pools, but it was not the same as swimming in an ocean or lake on a planet. I remember one time, I was about fifteen or so, the gravity generator went out at a recreation center in New Berlin and the entire pool and everyone in it was suddenly everywhere. Great bubbles of water with swimmings encased in them float, people suddenly out of the water and everything. It was much fun until the gravity came back on and we all splashed back into the pool."

Aidan laughed as he pictured what that must have looked like. He ran his hand through his hair, shaking his head. “That must have been some experience. I hope no one got hurt when you all had your splashdown.”

"Nyet," she said. "It was good fun. What is the most exciting thing that has happened to you?" She was genuinely curious and gave him her full attention as the wind blew her hair behind her.

A young boy came up the walk past them carrying as basket of red fruits and stopped to offer them each one. "Welcome and enjoy!" he said cheerfully before he continued on his way.

Aidan accepted one of the red fruits and thanked the young boy. He put it on the bench beside him and considered Mila’s question. Within the last four years…you, he thought to himself. “Well, it was shortly after we arrived on Earth after being rescued, long before I joined Starfleet. My sisters, Keelie and Deirdre, wanted to go shuttle surfing with some friends. The Terran children did not know how, so Kee and Dee asked me to show them. Little did I know that I was about to get pranked by them. They were good for that. So, I paddled out to the lake, grabbed the bar on the rope, pulled myself up to stand on the board, and before I knew it, the pilot took off. I was about six meters from the surface of the water and flying through the air. They thought it was hilarious. I thought it was great.”

Mila accepted the fruit with a thanks to the boy, then took a bite as she listened to his story. She laughed as red juice ran down her chin and shook her head. "I am hoping that you would not do that to me, Aidan. I would have to let go and make you rescue me. I am a good swimmer, so you would have your work cut out for you." She looked at the fruit. "These are delicious. I am hoping we can get more to take back to the ship before we leave."

After he finished, he picked his fruit up and took a bite. He nodded in agreement with Mila as he chewed and swallowed. “Yes, they are delicious. We can look for them this afternoon, if you’d like. But I would never do that to you, Mila.” Aidan watched as the wind continued to blow Mila’s hair. “Though, I would not mind the prospect of rescuing you from something.” He grinned as he took another bite.

"You would, would you?" she asked with a laugh. "Do you wish to be the knight in shining armor who comes charging to the rescue of the damsel in distress?" She took another bite of her fruit and looked at him with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

He laughed. “Yes, yes I would!” he exclaimed. Then he thought for a brief second, “Oh, I do not wish to be the knight in shining armor, I am your knight in shining armor. And I have already rescued my damsel, though I do not know from what distress. But it does not matter…for I have rescued her.” He winked at Mila as he took another bite of the red, juicy fruit.

"Is that so?" Mila asked with a grin. "Then remind me to rescue your PADDwork when you come up for review to the Captain so you can continue in the Academy and become fine, young officer under his Command."

A few things came to mind right then, but the one he decided to go with was, “I would like to be a fine, young officer under his Command, but only if his Yeoman remained the same. I hear she is awesome.” He fought back the urge to say ‘hot’ as opposed to ‘awesome.’ There would be a time for that later.

"I have heard the same," she said as she finished her fruit. "If you butter her up, she may even expedite any PADDwork so that it is seen first. Of course, if you don't, it may get lost in a transporter accident and end up on backwater planet and buried in peat moss."

Aidan grinned widely. “Oh, I am certain that I can butter her up. I still have an entire day left here, not to mention all the time between our return to the ship and graduation. Just wait and see.”

Paran came out of his shop right then. “Hello young, beautiful couple! The pilot is landing and your gear is ready. Please, come in and suit up. Then enjoy yourselves.”

Aidan took Mila’s hand and whispered, “I have been enjoying myself since our shuttle ride yesterday.” Then in his normal voice, “Shall we?”

Mila gave a delightful laugh and smiled. "As have I and we shall," she said as she took his hand. "I am looking forward to everything."

Once inside, Aidan noticed that the gear was basic and standard, with one exception. The personal floatation devices they would wear had a small emergency locator installed in the collar. And then there was the thing they were to strap to their wrists. According to Paran, it was to be used to activate the emergency transponder. “We take the safety of our guests very seriously. We wish no harm to come to anyone,” he had said, as he put a PADD in front Aidan.

Aidan placed his thumb on the PADD and then put on the activator. He looked at the PFD’s on the counter and turned to Paran. “Excuse me Paran? Do you have these in different colors?”

“Of course,” the shop owner responded. “Do you have a favorite color you would like?”

Aidan chuckled as he pointed to the one hanging on the wall behind Paran. “That one, the purple one.” It was all he could do to keep from laughing.

Paran removed it and handed it to Aidan. Aidan took it and turned to Mila. “A favorite color, if memory serves.”

She smiled. "It is indeed," she said as she pressed her thumb to the PADD and put the wristlet and flotation device on. "Although," she stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear. "I am not wearing panties and if this falls off, I am lost."

Aidan thought his heart had just shot right out of his chest. It took him a few seconds to regain his composure and lean down to whisper in her hear. “Then there is no way in this world that I am letting you out of my sight. If it falls off, I will find my way back to you, no matter what.”

Mila laughed at his expression and gave his hand a squeeze. "Of that, I have no doubt. Shall we shuttle surf, my handsome knight?"

“We shall,” he said, squeezing her hand in return. Aidan looked up to Paran, who gestured out the back door. Aidan walked out back and saw the pilot, dressed in a dark blue shirt with big white flowers on it, green shorts, and a pair of sandals, standing next to a small, personal shuttle.

He walked up to him and said, “I’ve been before, but she has not. I am teaching her so take it low and slow to begin with.”

The pilot nodded his ascent and replied, “Sure thing. Get in and we’ll go to the drop zone. I’ll hover low over the water and let you drop in. Just make sure you toss the ropes and boards in.”

Mila listened and smiled. "I am a very quick learner and Aidan will save me if I am in danger, but I am a good swimmer," she assured the pilot.

He nodded. “Sounds good to me. All aboard!”

Aidan looked at Mila and said, “I would save you and your purple floatation device even if you were not in danger.” He helped Mila step into the shuttle. It wasn’t that bad of a step; the door had been removed and it was completely open.

"Such a gentleman," she said as she got in the shuttle and took a seat. "And I would do my best to save you as well."

Aidan took a seat next to her as the shuttle lifted off. “Thank you,” he said, “for both.” He leaned in and whispered, “It is easy to be such a gentleman when you are such a beautiful woman. Nice one piece, by the way.” He winked at Mila as the shuttle flew slowly out over the ocean.

"Than you," Mila said, not self-conscious about her body at all. "I was going to make it purple, but I want to leave some things private." She gave a silvery laugh and put her hand on his leg to give a squeeze.

“Of course,” he replied, putting his arm around her and giving a gentle squeeze to her shoulder. He put his other hand on top of hers and caressed her lower arm. “Some things should remain private until the right time.”

“Okay, we’re over the drop zone you two!” called the pilot. “You ready?”

“On our way!” Aidan called out. He turned to Mila, “I’ll slide the boards in first, and then drop the rope. I’ll dive in and you can follow. Does that sound okay to you?”

"Da," Mila said as she came to her feet. "I am actually a little nervous, but I never back down from a challenge."

“You will do just fine,” he said, patting her on the back as he stood. Aidan detached the boards from the wall and slid them in. He then removed the rope with its dual handholds and tossed it down. It sort of fell back and under the shuttle to where the other end was attached. “After you,” he said to Mila. “Just make sure dive far enough out to miss the boards and not get tangles in the rope.”

She took a deep breath and nodded, then took another. "I will remember," she said nervously.

Aidan walked over to the edge of the shuttle. It wasn’t a long distance away from the surface of the water, but far enough to allow a nice dive in. He jumped and slid right into the water. Coming back up, he shook his head and ran his hands over his hair. He pushed the boards out of the way for Mila, just in case, and motioned for her to join him.

Mila took another deep breath and ran forward to launch herself out of the shuttle in a graceful arch. She put her hands together in front of her and sliced into the water with barely a splash. She went deeper, then turned and swam up towards where his legs were and grabbed them before giving a quick tug.

As Aidan went down, he flung his arms up and took a breath as quickly as he could. Once underwater, he paddled and turned to face Mila. Good swimmer, indeed, he thought to himself. More like a mermaid. He looked her up and down, reached for her hands, and nodded towards the surface.

She smiled and released a flood of bubbles and then stroked for the surface while she scissored her legs. Upon breaking the surface, she shook her wet hair in an arc and laughed. "The water is amazing!"

Aidan followed and broke surface with her. “Yeah, that’s what is amazing,” he said with a wry grin on his face. “Just you wait until we have our swim afterwards.” He began swimming to the boards and the rope. “Nice dive, by the way,” he called out.

Mila reached out to stop him when he began to swim toward the boards and swam up beside of him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him while she treaded water with her legs. "There...that is what I wanted to do," she said after a minute had gone by.

Aidan stopped when he felt Mila touch him. Everything after that was like a like a dream. When she wrapped her arms around his neck and began kissing him, he put his hands around her waist and treaded water next her, with her. It was the most wonderful minute of the entire R and R so far. And when it was over, he did not let go of her waist. “Then it will make what I want to do easier.” While treading water, he moved in, his face inches from hers. He brushed a strand of wet hair from her face and pressed his lips against hers. After another minute, he pulled away. “Somehow, shuttle surfing doesn’t seem as exciting anymore.” He grinned.

"Do not think you are getting away from it that easily," she said as she held herself to him and gave him another, softer kiss. "But...I am curious as to what you do want to do."

“We could go on with our shuttle surfing,” he said. “Then we could talk more about us and explore this new star we have come across. Because it is something that I want to explore. Unless you want to shuttle surf at our next R and R so we can move forward with this, with us. Honestly, I would not mind that.”

"We have time to do both, Aidan," Mila told him. "We are on shore leave, we are spending time with each other and having fun together. Why does it have to be one or the other? Let us learn as we grow."

Aidan smiled. “You are wise beyond your years, Mila Anastasiya. We shall do all of it. We will enjoy our shore leave. We will spend more time together. We will have fun together. And we will grow as we learn each other.” He tenderly kissed her.

“Hey!” shouted the pilot. “You two gonna shuttle surf or get a room?! I mean, it’s your credits I’m burning through here!”

“Well my dear, shall I teach you how to shuttle surf?”

Mila returned the kiss, then blushed when she heard the pilot. "As no rooms are available here in the water, let us shuttle surf," she said.

Aidan swam over to the rope and pulled one of the boards along with him. He pulled himself onto the board and managed to straddle it. It took a bit of work, but using the rope to steady and pull himself, he eventually stood up. “Just like that, sort of. It’s balancing act.”

She followed his instructions and made her way onto the board, took a moment to balance herself while holding onto the rope and came to her feet. "Is very difficult while on a rolling surface such as water," she said. "Will it all be like this?"

“Not quite,” replied Aidan. “The balancing will be a bit easier once we start moving. And the pilot knows this is training, so he will not get too fast right away. The speed will be as such that you can get used to it. Whenever you are ready, I can signal the pilot.”

"I think I am ready," Mila said as she looked at him and adjusted her stance.

Aidan looked up and signaled the pilot, who was looking out the door. He nodded and a few seconds later, the rope was being pulled tight. Aidan felt the pull on his arms leaned backwards, adjusting the pressure he was putting on the board. It started to wobble and he quickly scooted his feet, making adjustments. He looked at Mila to see how she was adjusting.

She had been looking at him until the rope was pulled tight and she felt herself being pulled forward and compensated by bracing her feet on the board and pushed backwards. This caused the nose of the board to rise up out of the water and she squealed and tried to move forward. With the board and her now both overbalanced, it resulted in the board and her capsizing and she went under the water.

“Stop!” yelled Aidan. Without thinking, he immediately let go of the rope and dove into the water. It was true that she was wearing a flotation device. And it was true that she was a good swimmer. But at that moment, Aidan realized he had only shown Mila what to do and not instructed her. This was his fault and he could only hope that she wasn’t hurt. Once underwater, he began frantically looking around for her.

Mila popped back up to the surface a moment after she had gone underwater thanks to her ability to swim and the flotation device, and she looked around for Aidan. Seeing his empty board and the shuttle which now came to a stop, she assumed that he had fallen off, too, and dove underwater after a deep breath to look for her. She spotted him going away from her and kicked her legs and began to swim towards him until she got close enough to tap him on the foot to get his attention.

Aidan kicked and spun around at the tap on his foot. He was greatly relieved to see that Mila was okay, which he evidenced by the look of relief on his face. He was also relieved to see that there was no blood. He pointed to the surface and began swimming upwards.

She gave a thumbs up after she jerked back from his kick and rose to the surface after him. When they surfaced, she shook her head. "I think that I missed a few details on how to do it properly," she said after she caught her breath.

“No,” he said, after a few deep breaths, “you did not miss any details. As you went under, I realized that I had only showed you what to do, not explain it. This is on me, Mila. I should have instructed you better. But are you okay? You are not hurt are you?”

"I am fine," Mila assured him. "When the board went over, I threw myself away from it. I should have asked more questions."

“That is good to hear,” he said. “But let us not worry anymore about it. You are fine, and that’s all that matters. Now, we can get back on and try again or go for a swim. We are already in the water.” Aidan chuckled as he added that last bit.

"Nyet," she said. "I am not one to give up easily and you paid for these lessons." She swam for her board and straddled it before she got the rope and stood up once more.

Mila was back on before Aidan had even made it back to his board. “I like that,” he said. He got up on his board and used the towrope to pull himself over towards Mila. “Alright, when the rope begins to tighten, keep your arms straight. If you do not keep your arms straight, then you will not have balance. And if you don't center your balance, you will fall over sideways. Once it goes taut, lean back. Like this…” He looped his right arm through the towrope for balance, put his left hand on Mila’s back to hold her, and then put his looped right hand on her chest to push her backwards.

Mila watched him, then smiled when he put his hand on her chest, but couldn't go back because his hand was at her back. "Why, Aidan," she said with mock sternness that didn't reach her eyes. "If I didn't know better, I would think you were trying to get a feel."

He looked back at her and raised an eyebrow. “Trying? Is that how it came across? Well then, I need more practice.”

She laughed. "Is Grandpa having a hard time remembering?" she teased him.

It was Aidan’s turn to laugh. “Why don’t you refresh my memory, Mila?" he asked, still holding on, but slightly shifting his hand. "That, or perhaps Grandpa could show you a thing or two.”

Once again, the shuttle pilot leaned out. "Keep that up and I'll give you a refund if you let me record it!" He called out.

Mila blushed and squealed. "Aidan! We're being watched!"

He saw her blush and then he smiled. “Then we should finish whatever time we have left and go someplace where no one will be watching. I believe I would prefer to make you blush in private,” he teased.

"Uhh," she managed. "Let us finish this...and then perhaps..." she trailed off, wanting to take him up on his offer and wanting to know him better as well.

Aidan laughed. “Very well then, I think you have the hang of it. Let’s try this again.” He gave an ‘okay’ signal to the shuttle pilot, who was still watching, and then moved over to his previous position. He watched as the towrope tightened. “Remember, keep your arms straight and watch your center of balance.” Part of him wanted to follow through with his teasing, part of him wanted kiss her some more, and all of him wanted to get to know her more than he already was.

Mila nodded. "I think I have it now," she said. She swallowed hard and focused on everything he told her and prepared herself for the shuttle to move again.

Aidan straightened his arms and leaned back as the shuttle moved forward. Once again, he readjusted his feet on the board to fix his balance. As the shuttle sped up, the board began to bounce a little on the surface of the water. He looked at Mila and smiled.

She glanced at him while she got her balance and began to get the hang of it, bending her knees as the board began to bounce under her. "This is fun!" she exclaimed. "How fast do we go?"

“Oh, we can go faster,” he said. “It will be great. Are you ready?”

"Da!" Mila said happily.

He yelled up to the pilot, “Training level 4!” The shuttle sped up and their boards were practically skimming the surface of the water. “This…is…awesome!” he yelled.

She laughed and let her legs absorb the shock and looked over at him. "Can we do anything fancy?"

“I can,” he answered. “I would recommend more practice for you, though. Plus, you would need to learn the fancy moves first. But would you like to see some?”

"I would," Mila called out to him as she maintained her balance. "This is amazing!"

Aidan got ready and pulled off a couple of 360’s and, once he regained his balance, tossed in a cut-back for good measure. “How was that?”

She would have clapped if she weren't hanging onto the towrope like a lifelight, but she gave a laugh. "You are incredible, Aidan!" she said. "I cannot wait to be able to do that."

Aidan enjoyed showing off for Mila, but he wouldn’t admit it; at least not yet. “And I can’t wait to teach you, Mila.” Then he noticed that their speed was slowly decreasing. After a moment, the towrope slackened and Aidan found it hard to keep his balance. So hard in fact, that he fell off his board and into the water.

"Aidan!" Mila shouted when he fell off and signaled to the shuttle to stop before she jumped off of her own board and knifed into the water. She plunged through the warm water until she oriented herself and looked around for him and sign of the flotation device they both wore.

Aidan had been able to catch a quick breath before he went under. He began thrashing his arms and legs, frantically trying to reach the surface. He thought he saw Mila for a brief moment, but was unsure. All he wanted to do was break into open air. Fortunately, he floatation device was working well and he floated to the top, despite his thrashing.

She swam after him and followed him to the surface but didn't get too close when he started to thrash around for fear of being hit. When they broke the surface, she moved towards him. "Aidan! Are you okay?"

He started treading water and began calming down. “Yes, I am okay. Startled, but okay. Though, there is something that would make me feel a lot better.” Just fallen off of a board into the ocean, but still able to flirt…yeah, he was fine.

Mila smiled and steadied him. "I am glad you are okay. What is making you feel better?"

“How about a kiss?” asked Aidan, grinning as Mila steadied him.

"I am thinking that you are spoiled already," she said, but she moved closer and gave him a kiss. "Like that?"

Aidan exhaled slowly. “Yes, just like that. I am all better, for now.” He winked at Mila.

The pilot had lowered the shuttle closer to the ocean and then stepped up to the side. “I’m sorry about that. I should have…hey! Uh-huh, Mr. I’m-a-trained-shuttle-surfer. I see what you did there.”

Aidan looked up towards the shuttle. “A little warning next time!” he called out.

“Yeah, sure. Anyway, your time is up, lovebirds. We need to get back to the shop.”

Mila laughed and climbed back up onto her board. "For a first time outing, I did enjoy myself," she said. "It was no fault of yours," she told the pilot.

The pilot nodded. “Alright, that’s what we like to hear,” he said. “Come on.” He walked back into the shuttle.

Aidan got back up on his board and paddled over to the edge of the door. He pulled himself up and pulled in his board. Then he reached out towards Mila. “A helping hand, or two?”

"Thank you," Mila said as she took his hand and climbed aboard the shuttle and pulled her board up. "That was really fun, even if we did both fall in."

“I am glad you liked it and had that much fun,” he said, pulling in the rope. “Falling in made it more fun, I think.” Then he stopped for a second. “Plus, we got to know each other a little bit more.” Aidan finished pulling in the rope and took a seat next to Mila, placing his hand her leg this time.

"We did," Mila agreed with a smile. "I am looking forward to making you Knish tonight and getting to know you better."

The shuttle sped back to the shop. “I am looking forward to that as well. Both of them actually,” he said.

"Then we will make it so," she said.

TBC

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