Posted by Lieutenant Kate O’Neill (Chief of Security) in A day high in the valleys (or almost), holodeck - Side Sim Open to all

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Ari Kux Salemberger (Chief Science Officer) in A day high in the valleys (or almost), holodeck - Side Sim Open to all

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Ari Kux Salemberger (Chief Science Officer) in A day high in the valleys (or almost), holodeck - Side Sim Open to all
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻
SNIP
Coffee, portable cooker, warm clothes and a lot, a lot of water. Of course equipment such a backpack and sticks were essential.
Two things were meant for all this stuff to be presented in the holodeck: A. It was holiday B. It was holiday. And how to relax if not to go on a hike like Ari used to do when he was a kid? Of course in safe environments.

It was not a secret, but Ari loved the valleys and mountains. He was obsessed with climbing them all day and when free time occurred a good hike for beginners and experts was what he searched for. Indeed not only him, but other crew would have been joining him soon.
At that time he was still waiting nearby a hotel on the feet of the mountain he was going to hike - people were invited and he warmly recommended to join if they would have liked to.
“What a great day on the Odin!” He joyed “well, I’m still early, I am curious who will come with me today.” He smiled.
Said that he took his backpack and checked that everything was there: coffe, torch, food, clothes. His teddy bear was there too. Now the only thing missing, was a bit of company.

Lieutenant Jr. grade Ari Kux Salemberger - CSO

“Ari,” Kate said happily walking up to the science chief. She had seen the invitation and moved her entire schedule around to make this weekender. It had been a long time since she had gone camping and the real camping with tents that had poles and food cooked unevenly over a fire. She wasn’t sure if they were actually going to hunt a few rabbits for dinner or not. That was too much real camping for some. Without Shaun, it was a bit much for her. She could shoot it. She could cook it. Rarely did she ever want to gut it but for as tomboy as Kate was, she was also one hundred percent girl and that means there were boy jobs and girl jobs. Boy jobs were getting dinner from the hopping around to her campfire.

“Lieutenant O’Neill! Welcome!” He warmly greeted the CoS “take a seat and some water if you want.”
Ari was happy that someone actually wanted to come with him. Since he was an Officer, few were his happy moment he could enjoy with the crewmen of the ship and had nothing but long experimentation periods that even for a man like Ari, drained his energy.

“Is the invitation still open for guests,” she adjusted her backpack on her one shoulder. It didn’t seem to be too heavy but then again they were in a holodeck. Whatever she wanted Kate could have the computer produce.

Lt. Kate O’Neill

“Of course it is still open, we will wait 20 minutes more so if someone wants to join, they will be not pressured.” Said to Kate “What took you here? Do you want to know something?” He asked the Lieutenant handing her a knife “watch out, we’ll hunt our dinner tonight.” He winked.
Ari was that kind of guy that if he wanted to enjoy something, he would do the extreme of the extreme to be as realistic as the experience could be, even in the holodeck.

Lieutenant Jr. grade Ari Kux Salemberger - CSO

Kate let out a laugh. Swinging her backpack around her body, she pulled out several shiny packets. “Mac N cheese, rice pilaf, and corn,” she read off the labels. “You get the main course and I will make the side dishes,” she laughed out loud shoving them deeper into her bag after Kai had gotten a look at them. “I also have marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars. Hersheys to be specific because when you make a s’more you don’t ever use anything but a Hershey’s bar.”

OOC: you wrote Kai for mistake! No need to correct :)

IC:
“Or maybe we’ll just have to cook our dinner. It is good too tho.” He smiled “I see you have plenty of food. Welp, I guess we ain’t dying of hunger.” He laughed.

Dropping her bag on the ground, Kate took a seat next to it as she waited for Kai to start the adventure. “So where are we,” she looked around at the landscape. Most people picked more than a random place when they used the holodeck. Ocean, forest, desert: They typically all were some place a person had been to once or twice in their life. Kate wondered what the connection Ari had to the surroundings.

Kate O’Neill COS

“We’ll start as soon as I get my hunting knife ready.” He took the knife whetting it “like the landscape?” He asked almost knowing what the COS had in mind to ask “Well. I love the italian and french alps. I always admired the calm and the green landscape.” He paused “anyway, I remembered when I and my father went into trekking. He made me feel important and also I learned a lot about nature. Do you like nature? I find it super interesting, almost like Warp Geometry Classes.”
Said so, he put on the backpack and started walking, giving Kate a pair of trekking staff.

Lieutenant Jr. grade Ari Kux Salemberger - CSO

“About as much as I hated warp geometry class,” she let out a laugh. “Do you have any idea how many times I day dreamt of building a time machine, heading back to Ancient Greece and killing Pythagorus in his sleep,” she followed Ari taking a deep breath of the crisp mountain air. “Yeah yeah I know how important geometry is but that class almost killed me. If it wasn’t for Dexter Murdock I would probably still be sitting in ol’ Ashram’s sevens circles or hell.” Elbowing Ari she let out a giggle. “Get it. Circles… geometry…hell…” she walked him through her very poor math joke.

“Guess it won’t solve the geometry problem.” Ari giggled “as Platon said, everyone knows everything because they contemplate the hyperuranium world, the world of the absolute ideas, and remember those things when re-born. Maybe you can kill Phytagorus and as many people who will invent geometry, but there will be someone else knowing geometry.” He smiled

“So what class gave you the most trouble in the academy,” Kate asked hopping over a fallen log like she was six instead of twenty six.”

Kate O’Neill

“I guess I had more trouble in basic counseling classes. Mrs. Hans always said I talked too much ahah, and she also told me that if I was to talk always the patient would have been “mute like a fish” 70% of the time. Oh and Mr. Maddock! From the Geology Class too! He was a cruel teacher. I needed to re-do my test twice because he thought “Using another technique would compromise the result.” But to be honest, it was still right.” He winked.

“Anyway, today we’ll climb up to the top. You see? I set a lovely location where to rest and plant this beautiful flag.” He showcased a flag with the UFP logos and his face printed on the center “it’ll be a two days journey. So I took a large tent.”

Lieutenant Jr. grade Ari Kux Salemberger - CSO

“Are we renaming the peak Ari’s Summit,” she asked with a half-smirk. For the first time in a long time, Kate was easily losing herself in the holodeck. “Oh and maybe we can do some tarpulingalingaling,” she suggested walking next to him. “It is a game we play at home that involves four-wheelers, paintball guns, and drones. We have played it for years but the name is new. During my cadet cruise I suggested it to several people on the Discovery but when I realized the XO came up to the table I sorta stuttered a bit trying to hide what we were going to do. Tarpulingalingaling became this great mystery and everyone was like ‘oh my god kate I want to do it’ and such so I ran the program. When I told my family about it they reminded me it was not a mainstream activity and the name became a family joke. Tarpulingalingaling, however, does sound better than four-wheeler paint ball so that is the name. If we have a semi-ish flat space I can teach it to you if you like. If not we can do it another day,” she suggested walking with her new friend amid the dappled sunlight and scent of fresh pine.

Kate O’Neill COS

“Seems a good game to play. If I remember good the peak has a flat space, huge as much as two foot ball fields.” Ari smiled “well, it has been a while since I held a paintball gun. If you want to know, I was in the Academy newly formed Paintball team.” He giggled “we loved to beat the other team arses. And I was kinda good a it.”
Walking through the trees and stones Ari and Kate reached what seemed a waterfall and for a brief moment Ari stopped looking at the lake formed within the waterfall.

“Seems a beautiful place where to stay, isn’t it?” Ari laid down his backpack and roamed around “didn’t knew there was a waterfall thought.”

Lieutenant Jr. grade Ari Kux Salemberger - CSO

Kate heard the rush of water and looked around cautiously. “Yay waterfall,” she did a weak fist pump in even a weaker tone of voice. Dropping the pack she stretched trying to not look apprehensive as she edged toward Kai. The vista was beautiful but of all things there had to be a waterfall. “So um…how…uh high is ....it,” she spoke in a staccatoed tone. Kate could feel her legs starting to get wobbly and her palms beginning to sweat.

Kate O’Neill COS

“I guess 10, 15 meters.. I don’t like imprecise measurements. It will be an exception. Computer? How high is this waterfall?” Ari asked staring the water “17.4 meters from the higher rock.” Replied the computer “is not that high, are you afraid? I see you’re nervous…” he chuckled.

*Seventeen meters is about fifty-five feet,” Kate did the fast calculations in her head. “Fifty-five feet is not high? You know hitting the water at that height is like hitting concrete right?” Kate raised an eyebrow scrutinizing Kai. “Please tell me there is more to the activity agenda than throwing ourselves off like lemmings from a cliff,” she joked.

“Let me check.” He pulled out his tongue, made a funny face and checked an imaginary book “yeah we have!” He giggled

“let’s set the camp, then we’ll think about getting a shower ahaha!” He smiled at her as he took pales and tent.

“Alright, ma’am!” He made a military salute afterwards.

Lieutenant Jr. grade Ari Kux Salemberger - CSO

“Wow, you brought a tent,” Kate put her hands on her hips. She let out a long laugh. “My family is insanely outdoorsy. No rain no tent…period,” she took one edge of the fabric material and began to shake it out. “Shaun is more of a gentleman camper. Okay, he is like a woman,” she smiled, “but it is not his fault. He has five sisters. They did not go anywhere without power. Me…I cam from a family of five older brothers. We came with sticks and a ball and the ball was only to peg you when my mom and dad weren’t looking. When the Greckens and O’Neills began to merge into one tribe, camping changed drastically.”

“So practically stuff mixed in an interesting way. I came from an Italian-american family. My grandpa was the pioneer of the Salemberger while my grandma was italian and loved my grandpa. When my family and I went to camp, both of my granny loved to come and join us. Actually I remember that it was my nanny to give me lesson for survival situations! Indeed, before I ever stepped Starfleet Survival Course lab, I knew I was already promoted.” Ari smiled as he took a pole and putting the fabric around it.

Sticking a pole into one part of the fabric, Kate propped up her end waiting for Kai to do his end. “If you ask Shaun about the family situation he will call it a conquest instead of a merging because five out of six Gerckens are becoming O’Neills and only one O’Neill is rumored to be switching teams.” Kate’s could not stop laughing about the family joke. To most, it would seem like a true hill billy act with the families all intermarrying but what people didn’t get was just how compatible each O’Neill seemed to be with their Grecken counterpart.

Kate O’Neill

“You’re going to marry him?” He stopped a second resting the pole on his legs “if it is like that I would like to assist to the marriage!” Kux laughed “I am thinking to ask Luna to marry me, sometimes soon…” he talked as he started again assembling the tent. Luna and Ari were like soulmates, and the opportunity of both being aboard was a miracle and a gift from god in person. While Luna was working as nurse and was unaware of Ari’s feeling, he already bought the engagement ring from Vulcan made of rare colorful stones and some light but precious metals “Here,” the Lieutenant lent the ring to “what do you think about it?” He finally put vertically the pole and started hammering the cords to the ground.

Lieutenant Jr. grade Ari Kux Salemberger - CSO