Posted by Lieutenant Duncan Rhodes (Chief Science Officer) in Gamma Tiltium Third grade Fieldtrip

Posted by Lieutenant Duncan Rhodes (Chief Science Officer) in Gamma Tiltium Third grade Fieldtrip

Posted by Lieutenant Duncan Rhodes (Chief Science Officer) in Gamma Tiltium Third grade Fieldtrip
Posted by… suppressed (8) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Pressing a button on the small speaker, a song began to play in the corridor. This trip was going to be amazing. She wanted Duncan to experience the excitement from the first second he started it until the last moment when he returned to his quarters. The song was not so much a tune but more of a whistle that put a spring in Lily’s step every time she heard it. Duncan said he was British which was why she picked this song. While the song was technically American, from what Lily knew from that period of history, American’s were just unruly British people that the Queen booted from England like a twenty-year-old child that refused to leave home. As the happy whistle tune which was called Colonel Bogey’s March officially was a standard song known by all kids who were stuck hiking all day. Lily pounded on the door of Duncan’s quarters with the back of her fist eager to have him open it. She had the codes to his quarters but just walking in would take away the element of surprise.

“Miss Lily are you sure he is gonna like us ambushing him like this,” Jefferson Parks asked pushing his glasses back on his nose. He wasn’t sure about the trip and much less sure Mr. Rhodes was ready to slip into the class uniforms Miss Lily created.

“Oh he will be fine,” Lily waved a hand as if what Jefferson was saying bordered on ludicrous.

“A warrior does not wear sashes,” the Klingon boy said in a gruff tone. “I am sure Mr. Rhodes knows the way of the warrior and will release us from,”

“Miss Lily he is doing it again,” Margo Mitchel grumped.

“Yes yes your right,” Lily pounded on the door. “Torf you know the only rule on this trip. PSTFSFO,” she said. To quell the first traces of dissent, Lily had made an acronym for the trip. Tucking a stray hair behind her ear, Lily pounded on the door again. She had no idea what was taking Duncan so long. She had sent over his uniform earlier today and told him to be ready. The man was never late. Well at least in the two weeks she had known him so something had to be wrong for him to be late.

Lily Locksley

The door to Duncans quarters opened, and Duncan stood in the doorway. Except he wasn’t quite ‘ready’ yet. He looked ready from the neck up, and ankles down. His hair was done, and he wore a pair of very sturdy looking hiking boots but the middle would have been the most concern. “Lily.” Was the only word he said.

“Duncan,” she said rising on her toes in a playful manner. Nothing in the universe could take her from this moment. Her eyes met his and all she could do was smile. Since she had met him, Rhodes has changed her life and far better than she ever thought. He was fun in a serious sort of way. The way that matched her perfectly. So far Duncan had never said no to her. He said ‘um babe’ or ‘define blank’ or ‘Miss Locksely’ but he had never said no. Tweek was more how she would describe the input to her ideas. Letting her eyes drift down from his face she took in his robe.

I looked better in that this morning, she mouthed with a wink. She would have said it louder but they were surrounded by twelve sets of ears that had twelve mouths which repeated everything. Best to stay in silent mode for now.

He wore his bathrobe, tied at the waist. Large and plush it was decadent and long, almost suitable for an arctic winter perhaps and Duncan did not looked impressed as he eyed Lily and the dozen students waiting expectantly outside his quarters. “No, I am Not wearing that costume. When did you ever decide that…” his voice trailed off and his eyes narrowed.

Her mouth opened to reply but Duncan was already onto another topic.

“Lily, oh no, Lily. is that Colonel Bogey’s March? Why,”

“Because we are going hiking,” Lily said in a matter of fact tone. “What do you play when you hike?” The look on her face was pure shock that Duncan did not know this. The man was obviously physically fit. If he didn’t listen to traditional workout songs what did he listen to. Maybe there were a few things she still needed to know about the mysterious Mr. Rhodes.

“Mr. Rhodes she made me wear a sash,” Torf announced in a deep voice for a ten-year-old. While it did not ring with the deep baritone of a post-pubescent Klingon, it was not hard to see the young man was not pleased.

“Hi Torf, nice sash.”

“Okay so take off the robe and let’s go,” Lily clapped her hands together. “That is unless you…can’t…take off....the robe,” Lily said slowly as if putting together a puzzle.

“It is not a nice sash Mr. Rhodes,” Torf said in an annoyed tone. “If it was a nice sash you would be wearing one yourself,” he growled crossing his hands over his chest in a definite pout.

“Of course he is wearing a sash,” Margo rolled her eyes. “He can make anything like dashing,” she let out a deep sigh.

“Sashes are not dashing nor long enough to tie up your enemy,” Torf grumbled.

“No, but they are itchy. My sash itches. Does anyone else’s sash itch,” Jefferson yanked and pulled at the red strip of fabric until it was askew on his body. “Maybe I am allergic Miss Lily,” he looked up at his chaperone.

Jefferson darling you are not allergic. It is just the tag. Come here,” she motioned to the body. Turning his body around, Lily leaned down and bit the tag. Holding onto the actual sash she pulled it so that it ripped from the fabric at the seam and did not hurt the sash.

Why are you all dressed like the father from the Wild Intergalactic Thornberry’s?

Lt Rhodes, CSO

“The question is why aren’t you,” Lily replied spitting the small square of cloth out of her mouth. Still trying to pick off the few loose threads that were now in her mouth, Lily moved her tongue in and out to try and push them out. “Better,” she said looking at Jefferson.

“No sash would be better,” Torf moved from his spot to next to Rhodes. Looking the CSO over, the young Klingon tried to assume the same position as Duncan and stared back at Lily. If anyone was going to make her see the futility of wearing this outfit Mr. Rhodes would.

Lily Locksley

“Mister Duncan,” a soft voice said from the back along with a raised hand so that he could spot her. “You know you are wearing your pajamas,” she said in a matter of fact tone.

“He forgot,” said Tim. All groups had one Tim. It was the one person that could find the downside of any situation. Tim was the one that would point out soft-serve wasn’t actually ice cream or that every minute at the beach increases your risk for skin cancer exponentially. He was also the type to assume the worst in any situation without any help from anyone else.

“Then you overslept,” Tim offered another reason from the bathroom.

“Warriors are always on alert and never wear stupid outfits,” Torf said tugging at the sash again.

“Then he is bailing on us saying he has the flu. My uncle always has the flu when my grandma wants to come over. He even wears a robe like Mr. Duncan. Do you have the flu,” Tim asked covering his mouth.

“Torf you are wearing the Sash,” Duncan said to the boy. He may have been going to refuse to wear the outfit himself, but he was going to present a united front to the kids for Lily’s sake on at least a few things. “It’s just like a Klingon Warrior sash,” he explained. “You take your badges, which are like warriors commendations and pin them to it. It lets everyone know what you have conquered.”

“I shall wear it with pride,” the young Klingon boy beamed up at Duncan. He straightened the sash and stood just a bit straigher. “And I shall endeavor to have my sash of commendations match the one you wear.”

“Now as for me, Lily come inside a moment please. The rest of you, stay here.” With one hand Duncan he gave Torf a shove back out into the corridor, then with the same hand took hold of Lily and pulled her into his quarters. “All of you listen, stay right here, that is an order.” He waved his finger at them and shut the door.

“I shall make sure they do not move from this spot or they shall be beaten,” the door slide closed in the middle of Torf’s speech.

“Lily Locksley,” Duncan said, turning to her and looking her up and down.

“Are you sure we should leave them..out there,” she started and then looked Duncan in the eyes. “What’s wrong,” she said innocently and not a bit concerned.

“This outfit fits you far better than me you know.”

“I know. I was lucky enough to get my tailored.” Lily spun around a few times modeling her outfit. “The people that made them had no idea how to make them fit a woman’s hips but I think this isn’t half bad,” she said spinning so that she was looking at herself from all angles in the mirror. “How does yours fit?”

” I am not going to wear this thing.” He pulled the cord to his gown and let it fall to the floor, under it was the outfit Lily had chosen. “Seriously, Miss Locksley? How are they going to take me seriously when I look like the hunter from Jumanji? Shorts? You want me to wear shorts? And turn off that blasted music please!”

“Yes Mr. Rhodes,” came a muffled voice from the other side of the door. It was followed by silence and no more happy camp song.

This also elicited a giggle from Lily. It was unclear as to whether or not she was laughing at him in the outfit or the mini-me in Klingon form on the other side of the door.

Duncan held out his arms and turned left and right, Trico had walked up beside Lily and sat down, and gave an appreciative chirp-bark and looked up at Lily happily.

Lt Rhodes, CSO

“Oh baby,” she put a hand over her mouth trying to appear as if she was amazed and at a loss for words. “Oh. Oh baby you…you are so handsome,” she said coming up and adjusting his sash.

“Lily stop, I do not look handsome, I look like an idiot at a Bavarian beer festival on a Sunday, all I need are the suspenders.” He pouted for a moment and then slipped hi shands around her waist. “Do I really look ok? This feels, uncomfortable.”

“Oh yes,” she kissed him softly while still smiling. “You so need the suspenders to really pull this outfit off,” she couldn’t help but tease him and agree with him. The outfit was not what the best dressed men were wearing this season in Galactic Quarterly but it did have it’s niche. “Besides your British,” she said in a matter of fact tone.

“And that means you had to have had some Rhodes that tripped the light fantastic over the Bavarian border. I am sure if we take a pic and send it to your sister Megan or Bronwyn they will be able to point out that way way way back Hans Rhodes wore something similar once upon a time. The way I see it, you are just expressing your cultural heritage.” Lily knew she was spreading a lot of malarkey six feet deep right now but that is why she was falling in love with Duncan Rhodes. The man was so different than most men she had fallen for in the past. He was sophisticated and cultured but still would take chances and do whatever was needed just to make her happy.

“How about,” she brushing imaginary wrinkles out of his sash as she talked to him, “if you wear this for me I will let you pick my next outfit or maybe no outfit,” she whispered the final part in his ear as if to give him an incentive.

Duncan raised one eyebrow slightly and bit his lip gently. “You have a deal, Miss Locksley.”

=======================
At the shuttle for departure
=======================

“Oh my god,” Jessica broke out laughing and did not try to hide it. “What the heck are you wearing,” she said between bouts of laughing.

“This?” Duncan said as he came to a stop and took the bag off of his shoulder. “This is traditional expedition attire I’ll have you know. Very English. Lily made me wear it.” He did not sound in the least enthusiastic about it, and had leaned in and whispered the last sentence to Jessica so that the kids didn’t hear it.

“The Frontier Folk sash of a warrior,” Torf immediately stood up for Duncan. He also let out a soft growl.

“Torf! Sit!” Duncan said and handed the boy his pack before walking towards the shuttle to inspect it.

“Thank you so much for the use of the runabout,” Lily said to Jessica happy tone. “It is so much better than the school’s shuttle.”

“Oh no problem,” Jessica waved it off with a smile. “There is plenty of room in it for all the kiddos and even a bed…if you find you are not wanting to sleep on the ground or deck plating.”

“Thank you, Jessica,” Duncan started to say....

“We are Frontier Folk Warriors. We shall sleep under the stars,” Torf said boldly entering the shuttle and explaining where the stuff should go. This statement was followed by a series of salutes and hand gestures that none of the adults could prove or disprove were actual official Frontier Folk greetings.

“Yes, that too.” Was all Duncan said and shrugged at Lily and Jessica.

Walking up to Duncan Jessica gave him a wry smile. “You have it bad for Miss Locksley but it looks good on you. You need someone like her in your life. Settle down. Have a few Rhodes,” she teased but was also semi-serious. “And you can thank me later for the use of the command runabout.” Then as if on second thought she changed her words. “You know what. Forget about the thank you. Just seeing Jungle Jim the Selat Hunter in the flesh and blood is more than enough. Can I have your autograph though,” she teased.

Lt. Commander Jessica Teller XO

“Only if I sign it ‘Rhodes of the Jungle’ and you hide it in the deepest, darkest sections of OMAP’s treasure vaults.” Duncan said dryly, then grinned at his friend and spoke softly as he watched Lily get the children seated and start stowing the gear away. “I do have it bad for Miss Locksley, don’t I? Who would have thought. I just need to keep Bronwyn in the dark a while longer and maybe we will have a chance.”

“Oh honey Bronwyn doesn’t know,” she gave him a small grin. “Please please tell me that I can at least be in the room when you tell her.” Jessica had heard enough about Duncan’s older sister to know that while the woman was friendly, she was also the epitome of British no-nonsense.

Duncan gave Jessica a wink, she knew of his sister and her opinions of Duncans partners. Nobody on the Outpost had met the woman, but Duncan spared no details when he started talking about how scary and determined she could be when she wanted her way, and she always wanted her way.

“Duncan what is this button for,” Lily said as the floodlights to the shuttle lit up the hangar bay like a beacon. “Oh..sorry,” she said. The lights were followed by a series of honks and whistles that resembled a vehicle alarm. Since the shuttle did not have a civilian grade security system, Jessica had no idea what the woman was doing to make the shuttle make that sound.

“Baby do you think you could help me out,” Lily said from inside the ship. “I am trying to upload some camp songs for the trip but I am um having a bit of trouble.”

“Coming, Lily!” Duncan replied and turned back to Jessica, clapping her on the shoulder before he boarded. “Hey, thanks. This will mean a lot to the kids. I might even bring back a souvenir.” Trico chirped at him, rubbed her head against Jessica’s leg in thanks and then turned and trotted onto the shuttle ahead of Duncan, the message was clear, he was to get his shorts wearing lily white legs onto the runabout before Lily and Trico left him behind.

------------------------------- 30 minutes later -----------------------------------------

Duncan stood outside the runabout and looked around the clearing. It was big enough for the kids to pitch their tents, two to a tent, and still have space for the meal and teaching tent that Duncan had brought with him. They were deep inland with no sight of Gamma Tiltium’s gorgeous beaches in sight, and far away from the simple comforts of Duncans beach house. They were in the mountains, up high and although the day was clear and bright, the temperature was noticeably cooler than at water level although still comfortable.

“Alright kids, out and front up! Time to get our tents up and then make lunch.” Duncan called out and looked for Trico, she was away exploring the edges of the clearing and noting everything with keen interest, just like she always did when they returned to her home planet.

Torf was the first out of the shuttle, striding down the short gangplank like he was a conquering invader, chest puffed out in search of his first badges of honor. Pausing, he looked around the clearing and almost looked relieved for a second that there was nothing that looked scary or dangerous. “This planet looks soft!” He declared, looking up at Duncan. ‘What do we do first?”

Lt Rhodes, CSO

“Go back in the shuttle,” Tim said in a solemn tone. “The shuttle has metal walls that will protect us from animals. You know if you pitch a tent and an animal comes they will rip the tent to shreds and we will all die.” His tone was so neutral and matter of fact many of the kids bought it as a solemn truth.

“Mr. Duncan,” Margo said a tad hesitant looking around the area, “is that true?” While it was the actual outdoors, the area was covered in lush grasses and wildflowers. There was a tree line that encircled the place but it was far enough away for everyone to have a place to start a fire and not ignite branches overhead.

“No Margo,” Duncan told her as he put one of the backpacks he carried off the shuttle down. “This continent doesn’t have those kinds of predators, we are safe here and our tents will be fine, they are tough, made by Starfleet even.” Duncan smiled his most reassuring smile, it was true that this continent held no real predators, there were a couple but they had never been seen in this area which was why Duncan had chosen it. His smile dropped when he heard the voice behind him though.

“Well the tent is only made of a Poly-cotton fabric. This a hybrid meaning it is a cotton fabric with some polyester weaved into it,” Sam started to explain the science behind the fabric as he pushed his glasses back on his nose. Glasses were a rarity in the future but Sam had gotten an eye infection a few weeks back and needed the tint on the glasses to shield his delicate corneas from damage as he healed. At least that is what his mother claimed and in the end, it didn’t matter or not. Sam was required by his mom to wear the glasses to come so he wore the glasses. “It has many properties that make it ideal for this type of application but it will not survive the nine-inch nails of the Steradian Ranaas. That animal is the largest carnivore on the planet surface and what it lacks in intelligence it does make up for in dumb brute strength.”

“Just like Torf,” Duncan whispered to Lily, who by now had exited the shuttle and was standing next to him. He was interrupted though by that particular person’s voice cutting through Sam’s argument.

“There are no Steradian Ranaas in this part of the forest,” Torf said confidently until he thought about it. “I mean if it did Mr. Rhodes could kill it with his bare hands couldn’t you sir?” Torf tried to sound confident but Tim’s confidence that they would be attacked in their sleep and eaten like some polyester sushi was concerning him.

“There are none of them here, Torf. No Ranaas have been seen here for years, the ones that escapes were all caught and taken off world. Go and get your packs and start unloading the Shuttle, we are sleeping out under the stars tonight.”

“I bet there are. You just can’t see them now and at night you won’t see them because you are asleep. Until they eat one of us,” Tim said in a monotone voice.

“Tim does have a point Mr. Rhodes,” Sam said in almost the same monotone voice.

“No, he does not,” Duncan said. “Listen, there are no Ranaas here, alright? And if there were they would go for Bradley anyway, he’s the biggest and juiciest one here.” He tried to make a joke of it, distract them with some good old fashioned ribbing of a class mate but it seemed they were intent on imagining being eaten. “Besides we have Trico, she was born here, if there was any danger she would know it and warn us wouldn’t she?”

All the children looked off towards where Trico was patrolling and exploring the tree line, and Trico seemed to sense this as she paused and looked back, seeing everyone looking back at her, chirp-barked happily and stretched her wings, then carried on exploring.

“And if the Steradian Ranaas doesn’t sneak up on you from the ground the Jicamas Henels will sweep down from above when you get up to go pee,” Tim looked up at the sky.

Lily Locksley.

“There are no.... you know what, fire,” Duncan said, changing tack completely realizing they were only going to invent more dangers of the wilds. “We are going to build our tents, then build a huge, roaring fire. Fire scares away all wild animals, whether they are on the ground or in the sky, and we have a portable loo so nobody has to walk into the bushes, we aren’t barbarians, Tim.”

Duncan took a few paces and looked around, then kicked a bunch of sticks into place. “That’s where we will build the fire and cook marshmallows, pair up with your partner we selected before we left, and put up your tents. First pair to have your tent up doesn’t have to wash dishes tonight! Go!” Duncan clapped his hands and then looked at Lily. “So, Miss Locksley, fancy pairing up for the night?”

Lt Rhodes, CSO

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