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 (31) 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

The tunnel was naturally heated and coats, hates, gloves, and still working toe and hand warmers ended up in Helena’s bag. She was meticulous about keeping the bag on her and not leaving it anywhere. The music was amazing, a DJ alternating with live bands. A bar was set up in the next larger space of the tunnel for drinks, light fare, and a bit of quiet from the crowd. It went on for hours until well past ‘dawn’. Helena and Marceau danced almost the entire time.

They had made their way to bar and Helena asked for ice water. She was thankful for the moisture wicking layer or she’d have passed out of the heat a long time ago. She grinned at Marceau, “What you think? Stay or head home?”

Helena

Marceau looked worn out and tired. “I think I’m ready to head home if you are.” He said. It had been a very fun night, the music was good, the food was good, and he had spent it all with Helena.

Helena downed her glass and traded the empty for a full thermos of ice water. It was late and she had to drive. She got the bartender to let the driver know they were on their way back to the car. It was a bit of a drive back to her dad’s car. Rather than tired, she was still dancing around in her seat. One thing was completely obvious, Helena and music were connected in the soul. Music, of any kind, was a spiritual, mythic experience for her.

Marceau was already falling asleep in the car on the way home, so when they got home, he made his way to his room, shed his layers of clothing, and hopped into bed.

~ Marceau

Helena didn’t talk on the way back. She opened the thermos of ice water, turned the radio on low and made the drive back. Marceau went straight to his room. She was waylaid by her father for a few minutes, and her mother who promised to leave something warming on the stove for them. Helena crashed a few minutes later, and was still out when Marceau woke later.

Helena

Marceau was out for at least eight hours. When he got up, he stretched and yawned, dressed in something basic, and went downstairs. He wanted to get Helena, but if she was still asleep, she needed it, and he didn’t think they had any specific plans for today.

~ Marceau

There were no set plans for that day or any other day during their trip. There was no end of things to see and explore but it was also supposed to be relaxing. Dúnna prevailed upon Marceau to speak French with her. It had been so long she was sure she was offensively out of practice. Except for a few misused slang words Dúnna still spoke fluently.

Marceau reassured her that despite some aging slang and a slight accent, her French was very good. He reminded Helena they wanted to see a sunset… and then remembered that wasn’t really possible at this time of year. Then he made her promise to bring him here when he could see it.

Helena grinned, “We can go now. There is no other sunset like it. We can go tonight if you like.”

Marceau smiled excitedly. “I would love to go tonight.”

Edílon bugged Marceau no end about football and towards the end of the trip, the Academy. He also showed off some of his wood working projects.

Helena

Marceau was very patient with Edílon’s endless questions. He told him all about football at the Academy. He told him a little about football back home, but if Edílon’s questions crossed one of his boundaries Marceau would carefully evade it. Marceau was very encouraging about Edílon’s wood working projects.

~ Marceau

Edílon was quite talented. He was in the process of making a handful of wooden puppet toys. He was donating them to the children’s wing at the hospital. It was obvious that her brother thought Marceau was ‘cool’ and would be quite happy if he stayed around.

Helena

Marceau complimented him on the kindness of making toys in order to donate them, and then also on the workmanship of the toys. He thought it was nice how cool Edílon thought he was, even if he didn’t really think he was that cool.

~ Marceau

Edílon asked a lot of questions about being a doctor (polite ones this time), the Academy, and Helena. Some were picking on her, others about how great a pilot she was and commenting in hie she must be the best pilot ever. Helena would never brag so much. Then that turned into Edílon asking about Morgan - a lot. And Marceau got a lot more detail about what happened from Helena’s little brother. Not only had he almost cost Helena her pilot’s license and her position at Star Fleet, Morgan had been extremely inappropriate with her. Edílon, was spitting mad over it, as only a baby brother can be.

Helena

Marceau had not known what all Morgan had done. Just that Helena’s pilot’s license had been at risk. He was clearly not happy when he heard the whole story from her little brother. He would have to have a word with Morgan. Maybe he could get some of the other Blackjacks to help him… He wasn’t known to be the most intimidating. Edílon’s other questions, the serious ones anyway, he was more than happy to answer.

~ Marceau

Edílon’s eyes widened as Marceau swore, or at least he thought Marceau did. His tone and the look on his face was certainly angry enough to say so. Edílon filed those words away for later, and he was content that someone would make sure Morgan was dealt with.

Marceau, as Helena knew, did not swear frequently and when he did it was well deserved. This was one of those times to Marceau. Though he had not meant to teach such words to Helena’s little brother and immediately looked a bit sheepish.

Evenings in the Laursen house were lazy, but boisterous. Dinner, chores, conversation, games or movies. A lot of good natured ribbing. Marceau was not exempt from this, though it was only Helena that teased him. Her parents didn’t know him well enough, yet. However they were quick to give him ammunition to use against Helena.

Marceau took it well and was more than willing to use the info given by her parents against Helena, good naturedly.

At 2300 Helena got up, “Might want to put your thermals on. The sun doesn’t set but it will get cold. Better bundle up.” She ran up the stairs to change herself. When she got back downstairs her mother had a bag of 6 thermoses with hot drinks and feet and hand warmers inside. Her dad and tossed the keys at her. He had loaded the car with blankets and wood for a fire. “Be careful.” Helena kissed his ceek, “Yes, Dad.” Edílon oddly, did not ask to go. Unknown to anyone, he was playing matchmaker.

Helena

Marceau went up and changed into something warmer, then met Helena back downstairs. He got in the car with her, buckled in, and then looked at her, “So where are we going? Is there somewhere good to see it from?”

~ Marceau

Helena buckled herself in and backed the car up, heading for the main road. “We’re going to Alftanes Beach. It will be a bit cold, but we can bud a fire and there are plenty of blankets in the back.”

Helena drove quietly, it didn’t take long to get there. When they got there she slipped the warmers into her shoes and bundled up. They carried blankets and firewood and hot drinks with them. After two months in the mountains, it was quick work for the two of them to get the fire going safely the rocky beach, set a weather proof blanket down and then bundle up in the thermal blankets. “The sun won’t actually set. It will hit the horizon at 2330 and then,” she pointed out at the water and then panned north, “follow the horizon until it starts coming up again at 0300.”

Helena

Marceau rode quietly with her. When they arrived and she bundled up, so did he. The fire did not take long to set up. He nodded to what she said. “It sounds beautiful.”

And it was, as the silence stretched it was only a about 5 minutes before the sun set and began its slow journey along the horizon.

He sat quietly for a while, then looked at Helena with a rather serious look. No one else was around, he hadn’t wanted to bring it up in front of her brother or her parents. His tone was as serious as his look. “Helena… Why didn’t you tell anyone Morgan was inappropriate with you? That he jeopardized your spot at the Academy?”

~ Marceau

Helena recognized that serious look. Oh dear, she was in trouble. It put a rock in her stomach, and then he asked his question and she swore, in Icelandic and the only thing he might catch was her brother’s name. Helena sighed. An already bad year at the Academy was made worse by that whole thing. “Who was I supposed to tell Marceau?” Helena picked up a few rocks from the beach in front of her and dropped them back. “It’s why my dad made him leave early.”

She sighed again. “Who was going to do anything? Academy has really sucked. First year pilots don’t like me and neither do the third years. I have to fly with the instructors just because I have more experience than most. I was stupid, I thought things were better when I started dating Morgan. That he…” she sighed, “he would back me up. He didn’t, it was just the opposite. Tell the squad? None of us knew each other yet, we had just been assigned. Billy…Billy didn’t to fly with me at first because of the rumors he heard. I don’t blame him, it sounded bad. Morgan had apparently already told all his friends. Things just got worse. Commodore Tyler set Billy straight after the decision was made.”

“Me.” Marceau seemed hurt she hadn’t trusted him. “You knew me before we were assigned a squad. I wanted to help you.”

“The FAA suspended my license for a week while they looked into it. Then they reported it to the Academy. I was ordered not to talk about the flight incident. They told me, because I had my license longer and my special position as a fully qualified Fleet pilot,” and that was knew information. Helena hadn’t told anyone that because she was already having problems with people being jealous and angry, “if I was at fault, responsible for the flight errors, I would be dishonorable discharged.”

Then Marceau was quiet. She couldn’t have disobeyed a direct order to keep quiet. He didn’t know what he would’ve done if she were discharged. She was his best friend at the Academy. He didn’t know what he would do if he were facing discharge like she had.

She picked up another rock, a blue one that she turned over and over in her fingers. What was she supposed to do? Now…now after 2 months in the wilderness she finally felt like she might have a place at the Academy, but…before…tell Marceau? He had his own studies and life. Lucy was already territorial about him. She wouldn’t like Marceau spending extra time walking with Helena to class and spending his free time with her.

Helena

Marceau was clear with Lucy, he didn’t tolerate that territorialness, but he didn’t always notice it. He was quiet for several minutes before he looked at her with that same serious, concerned look, “Even if I couldn’t have helped you, I didn’t want you to have to deal with it alone.”

~ Marceau

Helena looked at him, the strain no longer hidden. “I wanted to tell you, Marceau. I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to hide anything, but I didn’t know what to do. I was afraid if I said anything I’d get kicked out. Everything I did they tried to twist around and they reported me. I couldn’t even go to breakfast early without being called to talk to Tyler or his assistant.”

“The teachers knew, what he did. But by the time I got back, Morgan…well his friends knew but they twisted it around. He was ordered to stay away from me, but that didn’t include his friends, and they would always bring up the flight investigation, knowing I couldn’t talk about it. It’s been really awful.” Helena was crying. She pulled the blanket closer around herself. “When Tyler found out he put a stop to it, or tried, but the damage was done.”

Helena

“I would have kept them away from you.” That was almost laughable coming from Marceau, especially then. He was not exactly a fighter nor did he come across particularly brave or intimidating generally. He reached over and hugged her, wrapping his blanket around them both as he did. “Let’s hope next year is better. And if anyone brings that stuff up, tu me dire. You tell me.”

~ Marceau

That was the thing, Marceau didn’t have to be intimidating. He had a way with people, and a way of diffusing tense situations. Even among people that got along. When things had gotten tense and on edge from pure exhaustion for the squad, he’d managed it, put things to rights before it got out of hand. Helena leaned into his shoulder and nodded. She couldn’t help but smile a little. The stress he put on the word tell they had started calling his ‘command voice’ when he didn’t know it. “I will, promise.”

Helena

“Good.” He let her lean on him for another few moments before he pulled away and huddled under his own blanket. “It is cold out here.” He pulled his blanket in closer and moved toward the fire.

~ Marceau

Helena pulled the blanket around her after adding some wood to the fire. She reached into the bag and passed him a thermos. “Mom made you hot chocolate.” She she opened one that smelled strongly of the cider she liked. “We don’t have to stay for the whole thing. We could practice other midsummer traditions. According to folk tales cows can talk tonight or if we go rolling naked in the morning dew it will heal everything that is wrong with us.” She laughed a little.

Helena

Marceau smiled and laughed. “When these traditions were made, how did people not freeze to death?” He couldn’t imagine being naked out here. The idea of being naked around Helena didn’t seem to bother him or that Lucy or others might think it weird didn’t seem to even cross his mind. It just wasn’t like that to him, especially when they already played poker together. He shrugged and looked at Helena, “I want to do whatever you want to do. We can stay here all night, or we can roll in morning dew, or we can stay here all night and then roll in morning dew. But I don’t think cows will talk.” He grinned.

~ Marceau

Helena grinned. “Well it either cured them because they got out in the cold and froze to death, OR they were doing much more intimate things that kept them warm, and all that excitement made them forget what ailed them.” She laughed, “But no, I am used to the cold but I have no desire to strip down out here. Not unless there was a pool or hot spring near by and there is not.” Helena opened her thermos and took a long drink before capping it quickly. “It will start to get much colder the longer the sun is ‘down’ and the wind seems to be shifting so it’s going to get colder. We can head back whenever you are ready. The view doesn’t change much, except where the sun is on the horizon.” It was actually quite bright out, for being after midnight, they didn’t need the fire light or flashlights to see at all. “We have a few more days here. Is there anything you would like to do?”

Helena

Marceau grinned, “Then it does heal… Just not in the way one might think.” There was a morbid saying he’d heard once, among the Medical track at the Academy, and that was ‘Death cures everything, once.’ He nodded, it was pretty, but the sun was the sun and there were quite a few cold hours left in the night. “I don’t know. Relaxing for the last few days might be okay.” They had been running around Iceland his whole time there. It was great, and he’s loved all of it, but he was tired too. But if they came up with anything else to do he woukd do that too.

~ Marceau

Helena chuckled and leaned toward him. Maybe it was the silence and the sun, the fact Marceau was her best friend and she could talk to him about anything, or the memory of Morgan was just too close and raw…
Helena was mortified at what she almost did. No Marcaue was in live with Lucy and she didn’t even think about him that way. She turned the lean unto a quick roll to her feet and stood before Marceau noticed. “Come on. Let’s put this fire out and head back.”

Helena

Marceau didn’t notice at all. He stood with her and helped her put out the fire, trying to keep his blanket tight around him. It was really cold out here. “Alright, I think it’s all out.” He checked to make sure they had everything they’d brought and then started walking towards the car.

~ Marceau