Join me for a swim

Posted on Sunday 10 October 2021 @ 16:29 by Civilian Sansa Draxx-Jones & Civilian Abigale Blackwood

Mission: First Contact
Location: The Santa Maria
Timeline: MD4 0800
2471 words - 4.9 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Sansa was still lying on her bed. She had woken up a few moments ago, still thinking of last night and her… chat with Hamish. She smiled and stretched, looking forward to the day ahead. She reached over and tapped the comm system on her nightstand. “Sansa to Hamish. Do you want to join me for breakfast?

Hamish, who had been sleeping soundly, his dreams filled with a certain redhead woke up suddenly. Did he just hear Sansa's voice inviting him to breakfast? He quickly pressed the com button. "Sure would love to, I'll be there shortly." and he ended the call. Breakfast with Sansa? That sounded fantastic!

Sansa smiled to herself as she got out of bed and entered the shower. She washed quickly then got out, dried herself, leaving her hair damp and tied a silk robe loosely around her, she headed into the main living area and went to work on the replicator, preparing breakfast for her and Hamish. She set the table.

The door chime sounded and she called out “Come in Hamish. Breakfast will be ready shortly but the door open and Fay entered. She looked at Sansa’s loosely tied robe and blushed slightly, as did Sansa. “Fay. Come in. I was just preparing breakfast for Hamish. You’re welcome to join us.”

Fay had been starting at her snapped out of her reverie “That sounds wonderful.”

Hamish thought of bringing a flower for Sansa, a pink one, Mathias had told him about the colour of a rose. Pink of showing interest. Would that be a bad thing? He was interested in her, and that kiss, oh what a kiss it made his toes curl. He made certain that he was all in order then he left his quarters to go to Sansa's.

Hamish pressed the door chime and waited, happily holding the single dark pink rose in a small vase, waiting for her to answer the door.

Second time lucky... Sansa thought to herself and she called out "Come in Hamish, breakfast is almost ready!"

She went over to the door as it opened. "There you are, she approached and kissed him gently on the cheek as he entered "We have a guest joining us and... Is that for me?" she asked as she noticed the flower. "Awww it's beautiful. Thank you." She took the flower from him and squeezed his hand.

Fay smiled "It looks like you two are settling in rather nicely here." she said as she stood behind one of the chairs at the table.

"Please sit..." Sansa said "You too Hamish. I was just getting breakfast when Fay came." She looked back to Hamish "Did you... sleep ok?"

"I did sleep fairly well." Hamish replied, taking a seat at the table, he felt a little bit shy, taking a look towards... he took a look and saw it was Fay who was present. "How about the two of you Fay and Sansa?"

"I slept like a log." Sansa said as she laid food on the table before sitting down next to Hamish. "I Had some rather... vivid dreams though." She added with a sly smile to Hamish, then she remembered something. "Fay, does the name Esme mean anything to you?"

Fay was just taking a sip of orange juice when she stopped, her shimmering eyes went wide for a moment. "Yes..... There is a story, an old story from my home about one of us who disappeared. She was supposedly an explorer. Some say she was the first to leave our planet but it's only a rumour." She looked sad for a moment. "It's just an old story according to our leaders but they get very...." She stopped, searching for the right word "Defensive when we talk about it, and they always change the subject very quickly, as if they don't like talking about it." Fay got a bit misty-eyed "I must admit it would be interesting if it were true, that someone before myself left our world. Why do you ask?"

Sansa had been listening open-mouthed as Fay talked, now looked to Hamish.

Hamish had a forkful of egg, and at the name of Esme, the fork loosened from his fingers and fell to his plate with a clatter, his face going rather pale. "Esme-" Hamish groaned out. He covered his face with a trembling hand. He was feeling slightly woozy for the moment. With his other hand, Hamish gripped onto the edge of the table to keep himself steady.

Sansa moved closer to him, placing an arm around him for support. Fay reacted with concern. "Oh my! Are you ok?"

Sansa handed him a glass of water "I think there may be more to that story than you've been led to believe." She said, not taking her eyes of Hamish.

"Really? Please, elaborate..." Fay asked curiously.

Feeling the arm about him from Sansa helped bring Hamish back to the present. He lowered his hand and accepted the glass of water from Sansa, taking a drink. He placed the glass down on the table, taking in a couple of deep breaths before he spoke.

"I knew Esme, I met her years ago." Hamish swallowed hard to take away the lump in his throat. "Her vessel had crashed on the moors where I was at, and she had to take a host to survive. I didn't know whom she was at first until we got close. Then her host had gotten hurt and.... and... Esme sacrificed herself to keep her host alive. I-I was there witnessed it. Held her in my arms when she passed away, and her host came to herself." Tears welled up in his and trailed down his cheeks. "We couldn't find her vessel to get her back. There was nothing I could do." manfully keeping himself from sobbing. However, he was trembling with the held in emotions.

Fay listened carefully, enchanted by Hamish's story. When he had finished she took a deep breath. "That is amazing. Our leaders must know what happened. I wonder why they would keep it a secret" She pondered to herself. "When we get home, I'll have to ask Tann about this."

Sansa was still more concerned about Hamish. "Are you ok?" she asked, rubbing his back gently.

"I will be." reeling in his emotions. "I am sorry. Guess it is still cutting deep, even after all these years." Hamish replied. "Here I am blubbering like a baby." trying to make a joke, to lighten the mood. "It's just that Esme was something special. You would have liked her, Sansa. You and she share some of the same qualities. Gentle, but strong, a loving heart. You and she cared a great deal for people."


Sansa smiled warmly at him. Fay looked from Sansa back to Hamish picking up on the dynamic that was developing between them and smiled to herself. “If you’re feeling up to it, I was going to suggest getting to know our colonists a bit better and go over the arrangements for when we arrive.”

“That sounds a great idea.” Sansa replied

That suggestion certainly perked Hamish up considerably. "I am looking forward to that. " His low mood taking an upswing. "A swim sounds like the perfect thing to me." his mood changing to a better one, he set back to eating his breakfast, Hamish demeanour radiating out his dark mood disappearing.

Sansa's relaxed seeing Hamish's mood improve. "Well let's finish breakfast first."


The whale habitat deck

Sansa, Fay and Hamish entered the whale observation area. Fay went straight over to the water's edge and just stood for a moment. Sansa came up and stood next to her. Just then, one after the other, three of the whales surfaced, as if they were acknowledging their presence.

Sansa tilted her head to one side, trying to use that sense Fay had implied that she had.

Hamish stood there, listening as it were, and smiling seeing the whales. He was feeling much better now, feeling the calmness overtake him.

While Sansa was 'listening' Fay took a couple of steps back and checked one of the computer readouts in confirmation. "Just as we've had our breakfast, they've had theirs."

Sansa smiled. She was getting some vague impressions from the whales. She wondered if this would be stronger in the water. "They seem happy enough," Sansa said as she turned around to Fay. She immediately blushed bright red "Oh... my..." as Fay had stripped off and walk calmly forward and dived into the water naked.

Hamish's eyebrows disappeared in his hair, then he just chuckled. "Okay, now I know why Abigale was nicknamed Mermaid." Abigale's hair covering most of her body. "And it seems that Fay is a free spirit. Much like her name implies." he turned towards Sansa. "Um are we to swim au natural or utilize our swimsuits. I am wearing one."

"Same here," Sansa said as she removed her dress revealing her black two-piece bikini underneath.

Fay's head appeared above the water. "Oh, I'm sorry if I shocked you."

Sansa brushed it off "It's ok She said as she sat on the edge of the water and lowered herself in, keeping her eyes fixed on Fay's eyes... Rather than the rest of her. Abigale obviously worked hard to keep her body in shape.

The enormous shape of a whale came up next to Sansa and Fay who were treading water. Fay reached out of Sansa's hand "Here let me show you something."

Fay took Sansa's hand and placed her other hand on the whale and closed her eyes, concentrating.

"What are you....." Sansa started then suddenly she stopped. She was no longer in her body. She was the whale! She could feel everything, The water felt much warmed than it had done before and despite her size, she felt graceful. She could even feel the unborn calf growing inside her. She could see both sides of her enormous body at the same time which was weird. She could see herself and Fay and Hamish. She could also sense the other whales nearby.

It's Amazing... Isn't it?" Fay's voice suddenly sounded in her head.

Sansa found she was still thinking like a human and thought back A Little warning next time would be nice, but yes this is amazing..."

Hamish lowered himself in the water and treaded water just to enjoy being with the whales there.

She then heard one of the males singing and she understood!

I'm going to break the link now." Fay thought to her

Sansa suddenly found herself back in her own body feeling a lot.... smaller.

"Hamish!" She called to him in astonishment. "That was amazing. I was the Whale! I could see, I could feel I could hear..."

Hamish swam up to Sansa, "That is amazing." giving a small smile. He didn't feel a spark of jealousy, it was more on the scale of wonderment. "It seems it was a bit mind-blowing." laughing.

She nodded "It was. I felt what she's feeling, I could feel her unborn calf moving. It was.... wonderful." Sansa replied her face full of joy. She looked at him for a moment then turned to Fay "Would that work for Hamish?"

Fay frowned slightly. "I... I don't know." She admitted. "I could try.." She reached out and took hold of his hand. "Don't be afraid, try and calm your mind." She said as she closed her eyes and concentrated.

Hamish's eyes widened, then gave a nod. He calmed his mind, which wasn't too difficult swimming with the whales helping to accomplish that. He was surprised that Sansa wanted him to experience and Hamish was curious to see if it would work.

Sansa watched, hoping that Hamish could experience what she had.

Then she touched him, Hamish felt his whole world change in just that moment, connecting with the whales, both male and then the females, feeling the unborn calves inside, Sansa then Fay, then he went deeper to where the whale song developed, a collection of memories of swimming beneath the waves, seeing the crystalline reflection of the sun when it hit the water from above. Another memory hit him, about someone with startling emerald green eyes, and a faint memory of what she looked like, then, the memory faded away, as his hand reached out towards that memory. Hamish's eyes flared open, he was back in his body, his own mind, clinging to the whale he was next to, trembling from the experience.

"That, that was amazing." he gasped out turning to look at Sansa, then Fay.

Sansa looked at him, reaching out and taking hold of his free hand they were all connected... Hamish, Sansa and Fay.

Fay had seen a glimpse of what Hamish had seen and was quietly shocked. "The woman you saw... With the green eyes. She sounds like an elder... They were considered honoured among our people but none of them has been seen in over a thousand years... And even then, they were only a legend." Fay recalled with a large amount of reverence.

Hamish blinked and looked at Fay, "Wait what? That was Esme, she could have been an elder of your people?" feeling goosebumps develop over his body. He was lost in his thoughts for a moment then came back to the present.

Sansa listened with great interest "That would be... remarkable... I don't know about you two but I'm hungry. Shall we get some lunch and go over the details for arrival?"

Sansa's remarks snapped Fay out of her reverie and she nodded. Swimming over to the edge and lifting herself out of the water. Sansa blushed again as she caught sight of Abigale in all her glory as she started to dry herself on a towel.

She turned back to Hamish with a smile "Come on you."

Hamish gave a quick flash of a smile towards Sansa, his eyes looking into her emerald green eyes. "Aye, food sounds very good right now, and they" looking at the whales " Are hungry as well, so I don't want to get in the way of them having their meal either." Getting out of the water as well.

"Don't worry..." she said as she handed him a towel "A Humpback whale couldn't eat a human so you're quite safe." Then she grinned "Might have a try though, you do look very tasty."

Hamish did a double take, then smiled, with a slight flush to his cheeks. "Which means I had best get out of the water post haste."


OFF:

Sansa Draxx-Jones
Marine Biologist
USS Merlin

Abigale Blackwood/Fay
Diplomatic civilian
NPC Jones/McPhee

●● Lieutenant Hamish Teague
Chief Science Officer
USS Merlin