EXETERRPG: (1, 1205) SOPS, Lt. JG Billy Alexander and aACMO Ensign SG Heinrich Kruze

[Will Banowsky]

Mission: Auld Lang Syne

Day:01

Stardate: 2445.12.28



(Risa– Suraya Bay Resort, Pool area -SOPS, Lt. JG Billy Alexander and aACMO
Ensign SG Heinrich Kruze - 12:05)



“Good one, Billy!” Heinrich called out. “You got me drenched. How’s the
water?”



“It feels absolutely amazing. Like almost everything here, it’s perfect.”



" I'm glad you are enjoying yourself Sir, but you have soaked not only
myself but my partner as well. " Zot said.



Billy turned and saw Zot and Rylee Page.



“That’s the point of the cannonball. Maximum damage.”



"You are as graceful as a baby elephant doing that, Billy. " Rylee said,
shaking the water off her.



“That means I did it right.” He said pulling himself out of the pool. He
then nodded at the couple allowing them to go on their way and then went
over to Kruze.



“Alright Special K, how's the reading?”

Heinrich hated being called Special K. “Oh, it’s pretty good. Right now
he’s talking about a dream he had when he was a butterfly. But he’s not
sure if he dreamt he was a butterfly or if he’s a butterfly dreaming he’s a
man. Kinda trippy, don’t you think?”



“I guess. Usually I just dream I’m a big ole black bear sleeping all day.”



Heinrich laughed, “What if you’re just a big black bear dreaming you’re
Billy?”



“Seriously though, we’re at a resort, you just gonna read pool side all
day. At least put a horga’hn out.”



“A whoga’hn?” He asked.



“You seriously don’t know what a horga’hn is?”



“Not many people from Alpha 5 travel this far.”



“A horga’hn is a statuette that serves as a fertility symbol on Risa, and
represents the Risian symbol of sexuality. They say that to own one is to
call forth its mystical sexual powers. If you put one out publicly it means
that you want jamaharon, a mysterious and pleasurable practice native to
Risa. Though I’m not sure what jamaharon actually is.”



“I’m here to rest, I don’t think I’m ready for whatever adventures a
whatcha’hn might get me into.”



“Not too much trouble. If I wasn’t dating Jaelle, we might get into
trouble. But as I have a girlfriend and she could kill us both without
blinking, we can’t get into that much trouble.” Billy chuckled.



“That is certainly a risk I wouldn’t want you to take.”



“But seriously anything is better than a book.”



Heinrich paused, seemingly deep in thought. “I suppose I have read enough
for today.” He made a sly smile, “Did I tell you about the dream I had last
night?”



“Were you a butterfly.” Billy said laughing, “Or even worth a moth.”



“No, not a butterfly. I never get those flying dreams.”



Billy looked around, “Why don’t you tell me on the way to the bar. Maybe
they’ve got something resembling chicken wings,”



“Alright.” Heinrich got up and they walked along the pool. “So I dreamt I
was a shark. Tell me, was I Heinrich dreaming I was a shark, or am I shark
dreaming I am Heinrich?”



“Well that is an interesting philosophical question. Because if you ware
the shark, dreaming you’re Heinrich, then why do I myself have agency?”



“How do I know you have agency? Perhaps you’re just a figment of my
imagination!”



“You can say you just imagined it. But I feel like I have free will,
agency. So how do you explain that Shark boy.”



Heinrich hated being called Shark boy. “Maybe this is all a dream.”



“It also presupposes Sharks have the ability to dream and a rational soul.”



“Perhaps we imagine it as such in this dream world, but in the real world
sharks do have rational souls! Maybe they have a whole shark civilization.
They could have shark hospitals, shark armies, shark super heroes.
Vigilante sharks roaming the streets fighting crime. And one of them is
dreaming of this world. Which is far more boring.”



"Yeah  because sharks don't have boobs." Billy said with a laugh.



“That explains it! I’m dreaming for the boobs!”



"Say we're just sharks dreaming. Do you think being a shark is better?"



“Hmm…” Heinrich was surprised that he was stopping to consider the
question. As a doctor he, generally, dealt with practical matters. Someone
has the flu, someone has a tummy ache, someone had a limb blown off. But a
shark, unlike him, would be free. “If you’re a shark you lose a tooth and
it grows right back. Pretty neat.”



“I think it would be too limiting. I mean, I dunno, man. Say being a Shark
is real, and that is all we have. I think I'd much prefer the dream of
being Billy than the reality of being a shark.”



“No, man. Being a shark would be awesome.”



“Are you familiar with the 20th century writer C.S. Lewis?”



“Nope,” Heinrich said, “never heard of him.”



“My gramps used to read us his Chronicles of Narnia series. In one of the
novels, the Silver Chair, there is one character, who is just an absolute
pessimist. They are in an underground kingdom and an evil witch is trying
to convince them that the underground kingdom is the reality, and the
surface a dream. He had a monologue that I find so poignant, and honestly,
I think reminds me to stay grounded in reality no matter how much I get
lost in a fantasy world.”



“Do you remember the monologue?”



Billy smiled. “One word, Ma'am, One word. All you've been saying is quite
right, I shouldn't wonder. I'm a chap who always liked to know the worst
and then put the best face I can on it. So I won't deny any of what you
said. But there's one more thing to be said, even so. Suppose we have only
dreamed, or made up, all those things-trees and grass and sun and moon and
stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in
that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real
ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well,
it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that's a funny thing, when you come
to think of it. We're just babies making up a game, if you're right. But
four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real
world hollow. That's why I'm going to stand by the play world. I'm on
Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as
like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia. So, thanking you
kindly for our supper, if these two gentlemen and the young lady are ready,
we're leaving your court at once and setting out in the dark to spend our
lives looking for Overland. Not that our lives will be very long, I should
think; but that's a small loss if the world's as dull a place as you say.”



“That’s a good speech.”



“So say I am a Shark dreaming I’m Billy, and I just made up Starfleet, this
uniform, this calling. Well I much prefer this life, this adventure, the
duty, the honor, the meaning behind our task, behind our mission, to
whatever weird Shark adventure I might get up to.”



“Maybe it’s because I’m new here, but I’m thinking you find Starfleet a lot
more adventurous than I do.” They had just arrived at the bar and Heinrich
leaned on the counter. “Hey, I’ll have a romulan ale and my friend here
will have a…”“Dude, Romulan Ale, this early. Man you’re gonna be knocked
the #@$% out.” Billy snickered. “I’ll just have a margarita.”



The bartender went and returned with their drinks.



“I mean, I grew up in this you know. Both my parents, officers. My dad is
from a Starfleet family, so was my mom. One of my maternal ancestors was a
captain during the war against the Romulans in the 2160s. It’s in my blood.
I know what the Federation is supposed to be. That’s the dream world I’d
love to see. The Federation back to its glory.”



Heinrich took a sip of his ale to make sure it was to his satisfaction. “So
what you’re saying is you’re like a shark in water.”



“What do you mean?”



“A shark lives in water, though it doesn’t know it’s in water. It breathes
the water, it can move because it’s in the water. The water makes it free.
And Starfleet is your water. You live it, breathe it, would likely die
without it. It makes you free.”



“Yeah, its weird. I love this, I need this, but I’m a slacker, my grades
were average. But I need this.”



“You’re born for this, man.”



“You know I had a conversation with my cousin Trip the other day, you know
the Captain. He was the salutatorian of our class. Super smart, driven,
captain at 23. But he could walk away from this at a moments notice, be ok,
this isn’t his water. I may never get higher than Lt. Commander, probably
have a desk job for ever. But this is my water, I just don’t think I could
walk away.”



“Well, for our sakes let’s hope the Captain doesn’t walk away too soon.”
Heinrich drank a little more of his ale.



“What about you, what is your water. Where does Shark boy live?”



“Heh, that’s the thing.” Heinrich stopped to choose his words carefully.
“The shark is free because of the water. I don’t know if I have a water.
That’s me.” He laughed. “Always a fish out of water.”



“So you’re saying you feel shackled?”



“Not precisely. Just… out of place. And you’re never really free until you
find your place. I thought medicine was my place, and maybe it is. I’m
pretty good at it. But until I figure that out I’ll always be constrained.”



“That sounds exhausting.”



“Hey man, that’s life.” He took another drink of his ale. “It’s a good
thing I don’t have to work tonight.”



“No shit, bud. No shit.” Billy raised his drink, “Cheers.”



Heinrich raised his drink. “Cheers!” And he drank probably too much.



(reply none)

(posted by Will)
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