A rose by any other name...

Posted on Tue Oct 17th, 2023 @ 8:35pm by Thrita sh'Qirhess

2,187 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: Campor III - Resupply
Location: Arboretum
Timeline: MD C7 1730 hours, after Chance Encounter

Shan and Thrita, still unaware of who the other really was, walked hand in hand to the arboretum. Shan mesmerized by Thrita's laugh, despite all that she had confessed to him that was weighing heavy on her life she gave off the air that she was such a carefree spirit. Her energy was infectious, and Shan liked how he felt when he was with her.

Shan's favorite places in the Arboretum were the ponds and babbling brooks. He found the water soothing. He took her to a spot where the entry almost immediately turned into an old-fashioned arch-shaped bridge that led over a widened part of a narrow stream that wound itself through the arboretum. In the water were various aquatic plants and flowers. Near the water tall prairie grass and wild flowers turned into a lightly wooded area with carefully selected trees.

"I like to come hang out by the water," he told her. "It clears the mind. This area is planted with a mixture from the more temperate areas of Earth, Trill, and Betazed. Maybe a few other places. We can go find the Andorian area if you like," he offered.

"The water sounds nice to me", she said as they walked along the winding path. A domed ceiling gave the illusion of a sky. The arboretum stretched two of the Columbia's largest decks high. Viewports could be barely be seen in the distance, covered by shimmering holo-projections.

"Besides.. I haven't left the Andorian system in so long.. Might as well check out some alien plants." She couldn't help but notice short flowers growing in groups, each one's petals framing a mustached face. "Like.. Look at those things", she said while leaning into him and pointing at the Pansies.

Different varieties of pansies and violas were mixed in with the wildflowers along the path. Some were large, with cardinal red petals and bright gold centered between the dark black outlines of its face. Others were white, yellow and purple.

Other flowers grew taller, blowing in the generated breeze underneath trees and alongside hedgerows. The air was thick with a sweet, floral scent. A tiny Bajoran insect flew by, colored brightly in purple and green stripes. It came to rest within the blooms of a towering Betazed blossom.

"So.. What do you do for fun? Besides wander the arboretum with strangers", Thrita quipped. She was curious about his hobbies, thirsty for information about her new friend.

"At the Academy I picked up a sport Humans call boxing. I cook a little. I've got a decent group of friends on board and we get together." Shan chuckled a little, "Lately I've been learning how to play basketball. Have you heard of it? The ship's doing a league thing, and my friends decided to put together a team."

"Boxing!" Her head snapped from the flowers back to Shan as he spoke, a look of excitement in her eyes. Her wide, doe-like eyes locked onto the thaan, framed by the woodland setting.

He shook his head at how silly he felt when he was first learning to play. "What about you?" he asked, getting lost in her soulful eyes.

"Basketball?" She thought for a minute, trying to separate it from baseball. "Is it the one with the little hoops? I haven't played many human sports. I always grew up playing kochek."

Kochek was an Andorian sport played between three teams of three on Ice. Each time had to complete challenges in order to score points.

"Some kochek courses have similar trials.. Usually heavier balls and taller goalposts though.. You'll have to teach me this... Basketball."

She stopped to lean towards a tall flower, wafting its scent towards her nose and antennae. "Do you already have teammates in mind?"

"It is the one with the hoops," Shan said stopping with her, taking a step ahead and turning toward her. "I'm sure you could join our team, you'd fit right in," He offered. "Though..." he added drawing out the transition. "I may need you to help me get back in Kochek shape. Some of the Andorians on board want to get some teams together to play, but I haven't played since leaving Andoria."

He looked at her, hoping he didn't sound too eager, also hoping she'd say yes.

Thrita smiled, having guessed the human sport correctly. She had only tried taking a few practice shots and watched a few basketball highlights. Her mind was already figuring out time she could allocate towards practicing.

"Sure", she replied excitedly as he mentioned wanting to play the Andorian sport. "If we find one more, we'll have a team ourselves. We can always warm up on the holodeck. There are a few good training programs." The programs could simulate different venues on Andoria, each with their own set of unique challenges.

"So.. Mystery man", she said as she took his hand and guided him off the trail. Thrita seemed to be leading him towards a tall set of boulders, which rose from the grasslands to form a natural seat. "Are you going to tell me your name?"

Thrita knew she was the one who had been keeping her identity hidden from him, but wanted to make him feel as if he'd been the one who did so. She couldn't help but be playful, just as sure as she couldn't stop herself from holding his hand.

She didn't want to hold back. "They call me Three", she said coyly, eyelids lowering over her fawn-like peepers.

Shan followed her lead, letting her take him off the trail. "My friends here call me Shan," he responded. Now that they were well off the trail he stopped briefly, stealing a private moment. He brushed a stray hair from her face. "You said you were just visiting. How long do we have you for?" he asked.

His name sounded familiar to Thrita. It could be the shorthand form of several names. 'Shan' seemed to ring a particular bell. Thrita didn't realize this short for Shanir Th'kaasnik, one of the members she was assigned to bond to.

"Probably for the foreseeable future", she said as she let go of his hand and walked towards the creek's shore. "My dad is an officer here". She once again hid her connection to Ryhl. "We grew up separated, because of the whole career thing he had... I think he wants one more chance to connect."

"What is your Keth like?" A Keth was an Andorian familial clan. Houses often had ties to industries developed over the centuries, as well as a guiding ethos of beliefs and policy.

"My family is big into mining.. Space travel. They're very political", Thrita sighed and made a disgusted face on mention of the last word. Andorian politics had gone through recently turbulent times. "I really try to avoid getting caught up in all that."

He followed a meter or so behind her as she walked to the creek.

"Mine is also pretty political, though my generation seems to moving away from a lot of it," Shan said. "They are involved with agriculture and military service is pushed pretty strongly."

Thrita smiled, sending him a look of understanding. Even now, she was fleeing Ryhl's attempt to talk her into signing up for cadet training.

"Which department is your father in?" Shan asked. "Maybe I know him..."

Thrita looked at Shan and blushed a little anxiously as she said, "Oh, he's the Captain." She blushed more out of embarrassment than anything. Ryhl had always been the type of father to act goofy and embarrass her for a laugh. He also seemed to carry a larger than life personality.

She stepped closer as she gauged his reaction, feeling vulnerable while hoping this didn't scare off the junior officer.

Shan also took a step closer wanting to close the gap between them, a knot forming in his stomach, worried about what her reaction would be as he fumbled for how to say what he needed to. They had been having a perfect time together by his account, and he felt as though he was about to end it.

"You're Thrita," he whispered softly. His mouth felt suddenly dry as he formed his next words. "My full name is Shanir th'Kaasnik. I... I didn't know. I had no idea you were supposed to be coming. I promise, I wouldn't have... you have to believe me. The thing is, I really like you."

He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He was anxious for his response, yet relieved he had said what he did - put it out there, however uneloquently he had phrased it.

Thrita was surprised. The color left her face, yet the turquoise blush remained around her wide cheekbones. "It's okay", she said. Everything within her could sense he was genuine.

"I.. I didn't realize that was you", she said as she sheepishly looked down towards a set of bright golden blooms. "That you were.. Him." She looked back up into his eyes, her own dark purple irises showing silver speckles in the artificial sunlight.

"I mean my thavan", she said, referring to Ryhl. "Ugh.. He always embarrasses me.. Treats me like I'm young and acts silly." She turned to face the water alongside Shan, taking some of the pressure off the eye contact.

"Part of why I've been avoiding you is because I'm so worried about what sort of rituals and celebrations Ryhl might want us to celebrate. I'm not trying to live like we're back on-world!" Thrita snorted as she spoke. She was frustrated with thoughts of a lifestyle she felt the ship's Captain was forcing upon her.

He stepped in closer and took her hand. "I don't care about any of that. I just know that spending time with you has been like a breath of fresh air. I want to keep seeing you, Three," he said, using the nickname she had given him earlier. "I'd say we could try to keep it between us, but I have to warn you... secrets are hard to keep on starships."

Thrita smiled and blushed as he called her that. She only made up the name to try hiding the fact that she was Ryhl's daughter. Now she was confronted with the reality that this stranger was the man she was bonded to marry.

He tilted his head to the side, meeting her eyes, hoping she would still look at him the way she had earlier in the day. "Can we?" he asked... "Keep seeing each other. If your dad finds out or you decide to tell him, we can put our feet down together." Shan deepened his voice into a stern, mocking tone before adding, "No silly rituals or celebrations." He smiled, amused at his own joke. His eyes still locked on to her beautiful violet eyes, his hand holding hers, as he tried to read what her reaction would be.

Thrita was overcome with emotion. His gaze seemed intense. She looked down towards her feet, blush creeping darker. She looked back up in a vulnerable, open state. "I don't think we need to run or... Avoid things." She laughed a little. "I agree that we need to be firm with my.. With Ryhl. But whatever happens... I think it will happen naturally."

Thrita couldn't quite find the right words. She leaned closer, eyelids lowering as she spoke, lifting up towards Shan.

"We can just know each other with no labels." She closed her eyes and puckered her lips, lifting her chin upwards.

Shan let go of her hand as he leaned in to kiss her. He closed his eyes and brushed softly against hers as he gently ran his fingers through the soft hair around her face. Shan felt the tension leaving his body, his muscles relaxing as their lips met. He slipped his other arm around her waist and rested it in the small of her back parting his lips for a deeper kiss.

After a moment their lips parted, but Shan didn't pull away. He placed his forehead against hers, his hand still in the small of her back. His heart was beating in his chest, excitement now from being in this moment. "Now that that's settled, were we still going to try to find those Andorian flowers?" he asked.

Thrita laughed excitedly as they pulled away from the kiss. The emotions felt overwhelming, with too many thoughts running through her mind to consider. After all of her doubts, she found herself excited about something she once dreaded.

"I think we should", she said as her hand latched onto his. "I think they're deeper out... Somewhere..." Thrita looked around, guiding him closer to the trail. "That way". She knew it was closer towards the opposite wall.

"We'll have to plant some of the seeds I brought", she said as she turned to look back into his eyes. They hurried along the winding path as it curved into a patch of thick brush, out of sight from the main trail.

Ensign Shanir th'Kaasnik
Operations Officer
USS Columbia

Thrita sh'Qirhess
USS Columbia

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