Posted by Lieutenant Helena Laursen (Helm/Nagivation Officer) in Memory: First Year Summer Vacation

Posted by Captain Marceau Renault (Commanding Officer) in Memory: First Year Summer Vacation

Posted by Lieutenant Helena Laursen (Helm/Nagivation Officer) in Memory: First Year Summer Vacation
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
“No, it’s fine… comfortable now.” It was definitely form fitting. But it fit well and Marceau didn’t want to ruin the heat trapping effect by wearing one too big. He smiled again, “Merci. I’ll be down in a few more minutes… as long as nothing else tries to eat me.”

~ Marceau

Helena nodded and disappeared out the door. She returned to her room and finished pinning her hair up and getting dressed. She dressed in layers as well and even tossed a few of the hand and toe warmers into her bag. She was down stairs eating when Marceau finished fighting with his clothes, a bowl of the Plokkfiskur was on the table for him. Her dad was a dad, reminding her to be careful and remember that other people could get crazy and irresponsible. Did she have her communicator? He would come get her if something happened. He worried, and so on and so forth.

Torben patted Marceau’s shoulder as he came into the kitchen. “You two watch out for each other okay?” Helena grinned, “We will dad. It’s okay. I’m always careful. If we can survive two months in the wilds of the Black Hills we can survive tonight.” She hugged him anyway though. When they were finished Helena grinned at Marceau, “Ready?”

“Of course, Mr Laursen,” Marceau said, now wondering where they were going. “Is the surprise the icelandic wilderness? Because Helena, two months in the middle US wilderness was enough for me.” He was joking, and his grin would prove it.

Helena chuckled, “It is…kind of,” was her cryptic answer.

“It is?” Marceau looked worried, but said nothing else.

She didn’t bundle up, instead tossing gloves, scarves, hats into her bag and her coat over her arm. The temp was decent but it was going to get cold where they were going. She slid into the driver’s seat of the car, and checked to make sure she had the envelope in her bag before they left.

Helena

Marceau followed her example and only bundled up a little more than her. He climbed into the passenger seat, “You drive as well as you fly?”

~ Marceau

Helena glanced over at him with a mock hurt expression. “Marceau, if I wasn’t, do you think I would let you get in the car with me?” She steered the car out towards the main road and they drove for a bit, the sun was still up, it never went down, “We’ll have to go watch the sunset while you’re here. There’s nothing else like it. We’ll be leaving Earth eventually and seeing all kinds of things, but it is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. I don’t think we’ll ever find something to compare, at least not for me.”

Marceau nodded, “I’m sure we’ll have the chance to.”

She pulled the car into a large open parking area. And it was BUSY. Like surprisingly busy. There were lights and food stalls, and groups of people partying, and lots of music and shuttle busses. “Welcome to the Secret Solstice Festival.” Helena tossed him a few of the warmers and went about slipping some into her own boots and gloves as she slipped them on. She also donned her scarf, hat and her coat.

“Oh!” Marceau seemed pleasantly surprised. He slipped on his own scarf, hat, gloves, coat, and then added warmers to his boots and gloves. If Helena needed them, so would he. “Where are we going?”

She reached into her bag and opened the envelope and pulled out two lanyards. “Don’t lose this.” She reached over and slipped it over his head. Hanging from it was a VIP pass. She slipped the other over her own head. “Come on.” She got out of the car and scanned the area, “There!” she headed toward a shuttle bus labelled Langjökull glacier. The man in charge of loading the bus looked at their passes and ushered them to the seats in the very front.

Marceau looked at the pass she’d given him. It didn’t give more information than Helena had already told him. He followed her toward the bus.

Helena was closed mouthed about what exactly was happening, but she was excited. She had that look when she had a really good hand, or had found out some piece of information or caught onto some fine detail that put the squad in the lead.

The bus pulled up in front of a huge ice field, it glowed a unique shade of blue from inside, and there were lights leading to a tunnel entrance, under the ice. The driver ushered them off and they were met with an escort who led them to a different entrance where they were ushered inside. The room was filled with about 50 people all tuning classical orchestral instruments. Helena leaned over, “This is the prestigious chamber orchestra of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. They will be performing inside the glacier tonight. Their plane broke down and they needed a ride. That’s where I went yesterday.”

When she finally explained, Marceau looked excited. He loved orchestras. “Really? That’s awesome!”

A man in a formal tuxedo with tails, holding a baton, the conductor, saw her then, “Helena!” The exclimation got everyone’s attention and they were soon esconced in a large group of people welcoming, hugging, shaking her hand and then his. The conductor, who had a heavy Italian accent, “Ah this must be your cadet Captain…Renault, yes?”

“Signor Aldo Sellitto,” she kissed both his cheeks in greeting. “Yes, this is Cadet Marceau Renault. Thank you so much for passes.” The older man blushed, the attentions of a young woman not lost on him, even it it was only simple politeness. “It is the least we could do after you saved us.” He offered Marceau his hand. “It is a pleasure. Thank you for letting us steal her yesterday.”

Marceau smiled and took his hand. “It is a worthy reward.” Then he looked at Helena, “Are you telling people I’m a cadet Captain? It’s really not that big of a deal…” Then he smiled shyly.

Helena shook her head, leaning in to speak quietly, sound carried strangely inside the glacier. “Not exactly. They asked me how I managed to learn to fly so well. And I joked that my squad CO would accept nothing but perfection. They heard CO and assumed Cpt.” Helena shrugged, “They aren’t exactly wrong, but not accurate either.”

Then he led them out to the seats, past the first rows and just off center to the left. “This is the most perfect acoustical point in the whole chamber. These seats are for you both. We do hope you are both enchanted.”

Helena

“Merci beaucoup. I am sure nothing will compare,” Marceau commented politely, smiling and sitting down with Helena.

~ Marceau

Helena sat. It was cold, but as the seats filled up the space actually heated up. The inside of the glacier was surprisingly well insulated. The attendance was small, only 150 seats. Servers brought hot drinks and horderves to the guests. The orchestra played three classical pieces, but in between they improvised pieces of their own, adjusting and teasing with the sound and acoustics inside the glacier. When a particularly ethereal sound echoed through the space Helena reached over and squeezed his arm in delight. She spent most of the two hours, eyes closed in her seat as the sounds flowed around them.

Marceau smiled. It was freezing inside the glacier, and while it did feel a little warmer after the rest of the guests filed in, it was still really cold to Marceau. As the music started, he stuffed his gloved hands into his coat. The music was beautiful. When she reached over and squeezed his arm he moved and grabbed her hand.

Helena wasn’t even aware they were holding hands, not even when the concert ended and they all stood to applaud the orchestra.

When it was over, the servers brought in tables with food and drink and they got to socialize with the members of the orchestra.

Special thanks for, Glaciers, by Scott Director – Score & Sound and Ludovico Einaudi - “Elegy for the Arctic” and The Four Seasons, A. Vivaldi: Winter - Anastasiya Petryshak

Helena

Marceau had a good time, the food was good and he seemed to like socializing with the orchestra members, though he mostly stuck close to Helena.

~ Marceau

Helena didn’t wander far, staying close to Marceau as well. The food was delicious and warmed them. One of the servers gave them large thermoses with hit drinks. Signor Sellitto walked over, smiling at them. To be young and enamoured again. “I do hope you both enjoyed the performance.” He shook Marceau’s hand and then Helena’s. “Good luck to you both.” He waved toward the entrance, “Your car to the next performance is ready.”

“It was lovely,” Marceau said, shaking his hand. “Thank you.”

Helena shook his hand, “It was amazing, thank you so much, Signor Sellitto. Have a safe flight home.” The older man chuckled, “It would be much better with you at the controls.” Then he moved on to speak with someone else.

Marceau grinned and elbowed Helena. “Everybody wants you as a personal pilot. You’re supposed to be my pilot.” Then he gave her a look telling her he was joking.

Helena grinned, looking very happy, “I am always your pilot first and foremost, skipstjórinn minn.”

The car took them out past the lava fields they had seen at the park a couple days before.

Helena

When the car stopped, Marceau stepped out and followed Helena. It was definitely warmer here, so he took off his gloves and hat and put them in their layers bags. He’d remove more if he needed to, but he really didn’t want to be cold.

~ Marceau

Helena stepped out of the car, thanking the driver. He grinned and told her he would be there to take them back to the main parking area. Helena took off her own gloves and hat. She left her scarf on for the moment as they made their way over the field. “Watch your step, sometimes it can crumble unexpedly under your feet. You won’t fall through or anything, but you can twist your ankle.”

“Stay close in case I do.” Marceau commented, knowing he could be a little clumsy.

It was much darker now, not that it ever really got dark this time of year. They followed the signs that lead them to an entrance and they went down. The farther they went down the warmer it got. “It’s a lava tube. Don’t worry this is centuries OLD and the volcano it came from has been extinct almost as long.” Soon they could hear music and see the flashing lights leading into a larger cave and a massive dance party!

Helena

Marceau grinned, “I don’t think you would let me go here if it weren’t centuries old and safe.” He followed her down into the larger cave and then smiled. “Dancing in a volcano, eh?” It didn’t take long for them to get into it and start dancing with the music.

~ Marceau