What's Something You Haven't Done (Afternoon Hike)

Posted on Sat Oct 26th, 2024 @ 7:42pm by Captain Remy Johansen & Civillian Samuel Wynters

1,613 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Shore Leave & Ship Repairs
Location: The woods near Samuel and Remy's Cabin
Timeline: MD 3, after Afternoon Hike, Part 1

They continued walking, until the reached a small glen. On the other side, was a large, quadraped animal, that might even been the local version of a deer-like animal. It was eating the leaves of the tree it was standing under, it's multifaceted eyes glistening in the light. On its neck, five gill slits flexed with each breath the animal took in and let out.

Remy's breath caught in her throat as she smiled at the sight, freezing quickly to not make any noise. She reached across her body and squeezed Samuel's bicep with her free hand as a flock of black and orange birds dipped down flying through the opening in the trees, disappearing just as quickly as they appeared. Either their departure or the scent of Remy and Samuel must have spooked the larger animal as it took off in the opposite direction, disappearing quickly into the tree line, impressing Remy with its speed. Remy stepped out of the trees just enough to get a good look at the area.

"Do you know what that was?" She asked quietly. "Have you seen it anywhere before?"

Samuel shook his head as he replied. "I haven't, though, if I was a betting man, I'd say that it was a member of this world's deer family. The gills however...perhaps it's evolved to forage both on the surface and underwater?"

"That I'd like to see. Do you dive? I've never gone, but it can't be that hard to learn."

He nodded as he replied. "I learned to do so, nearly a hundred years ago. Though I could use a refresher, I was a certified master diver at one time. I even did some freediving a few times."

"So, what haven't you done?" Remy asked, taking a few steps out closer to the shallow stream. "Anything?" She turned to him with a smile half walking backwards.

"Lots of things," Samuel replied easily. "For starters, I've never been the commanding officer of a starship." He chuckled softly.

"Okay, so I got something on you," she teased. "But surely there is something we can do together. Without giving you joint command that is."

Samuel thought about it for a few beats, then stopped and looked into Remy's eyes. There was a look of serious devotion in his gaze as he looked at her and spoke. "I've never been a father. I would very much like to have children with you, when you're ready, of course."

Remy found herself feeling a little nervous when she sensed the mood was about to change. Then he said it. Family had taken a backseat to her career her entire life and while she liked kids she wasn't sure when that could change. Assignments to ships that permitted children were never guaranteed.

She cleared her throat. "Why. I mean. Um. How long have you known you wanted to be a father?" Remy asked trying to recover from being surprised by the shift to such a serious topic.

Samuel could see hat he had surprised Remy with his statement, even without his natural abilities. Reaching up, he took gentle hold of the tops of her arms n each hand. "My love, just because I want to be a father, doesn't mean I want it to happen next week or even next year. I just know that, for the last....hundred and fifty years or so, I've felt the pull. However, until I met you, I have never found anyone that I could see that dream coming true with."

Remy smiled and shook her head, "We've got to figure out a better way to communicate perspective than years, months, time." She closed her eyes and reached her right hand up to touch his hand that was on her left arm. "150 years is an entire lifetime for me," she reminded him as she opened her eyes to face the conversation.

"How do El Aurian children grow up? I mean, how long are their... your childhoods? Do you know of any human hybrids?" Remy asked finding herself now focused on logistics like the child's health and whether she'd even live long enough to see such a child grow up.

"Much like humans do," Samuel replied softly. "The first eighteen years of their life is practically the same, as far as their physical and mental development goes. Once they reach adulthood, that is when things start to slow down. Typically, they would apprentice in a trade for the next twenty years, then, they would get the lust for travel. On average, they spend the next thirty to fifty years, traveling the stars, learning more about the races that populate the galaxy."

"And human hybrids? Is there much known about their longevity? Health? How compatable our races even are for ... without intervention? I'm sorry for all the questions, but Starfleet knows very little about your people," Remy pressed.

He nodded in understanding. "Our biology is nearly identical, so there wouldn't be any issues there with procreation. As for hybrids," he took a breath, then continued. "While they can have a long life, at most. I've heard them age as much as four or five hundred years."

Remy furrowed her brow. "So there are others. Are there many?" Remy took a step back away from Samuel, but reached for his hand with hers indicating that he should walk with her. "I wonder if they would feel alone - like you have. I've lived a pretty isolated live myself as an adult. And I've wondered, would I want that for my kids should I ever have them. It's made me wonder if I should even have kids. Like I might be a bad influence on them or something."

Samuel shrugged, "I'm not sure. Last time I looked at our census, our numbers, both full-blooded and hybrid alike, were starting to steadily increase." He tool her hand as they resumed walking. When he heard her doubt herself, he stopped them, turned back towards her and gently took her face in his hands. "Now you hear me, Remy Johansen. You would make a wonderful mother. You are kind, caring, loving, warm, strong and highly intelligent. If it were to happen, I would count myself very lucky indeed, that you would be the mother of my children."

"I know you'd be a great father," Remy responded with sincerity. She left the rest hanging for now. It was a lot to process - not just having children - that was a big step for anyone. But how would a human mother even prepare a child for four or five hundred years of life. Becoming close to Samuel had caused her to think about things that she'd never thought would ever cross her mind.

"I'm sure you'll love my nieces. They enjoy entertaining me even though I don't get to come around very often. I'm sure they will get a kick out of you."

Samuel could sense Remy's uncertainty about herself. While he was certain of his description of her, he decided that continuing to speak this way, right now, would only make her more uncomfortable. So instead, he followed along with how she directed the discussion. "Would they now? You've not talked much about your family yet, my love. Tell me about them, please?"

"I thought my brother and I would end up more alike than we are. We both wanted to be Starfleet officers are whole lives. Hit the ground running right after graduation - gunning for promotions, taking the risky assignments. But he's a family man now," Remy said. "Before his first daughter was born he had himself reassigned to a starbase. And once she started getting old enough to really move around, he's been more focused on having a position that is either on a planet or in orbit of somewhere habitable than the position itself."

"So, they're getting a very different experience than what we had growing up. The Dominion War really spooked him. And we remember Wolf 359 too. So, he doesn't want his kids out there," Remy explained. "But I kept trucking along, putting my career first. Though to be fair, I can't say that any of the guys I've dated before now were really ones that made me want to settle down. Quite the opposite actually," she added with a nervous laugh.

Samuel gave Remy a soft look as he replied. "I've certainly lost my fair share of friends and loved ones to both wars and the Borg. I can understand your brother's desire to both still serve, while still doing what he can to keep his family safe." He paused a beat, then his eyes glistened some. "I am honored that I've given you reason to consider a different way of living your life."

"Well, I appreciate that you haven't tried to take me away from my job," Remy confessed. "Even before I went into Command, what I do has been such a huge part of how I define who I am."

Samuel gave Remy a knowing look. "I know who you are, my love. To try and force any kind of change would be wrong. While I know, in my heart, you would be a great mother, I will never ask you to stop doing what you love to do. That decision is yours alone to make, when you feel, if you feel, the time is right."

There was a moment of silence as she thought about what to say, then not far off in the distance they heard the roar of some kind of beast and the screeching calls of birds. Remy stiffened trying to sense which direction the noise came from.

~tbc~

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