Fancy Meeting You Here

Posted on 24 Mar 2016 @ 5:21pm by Lieutenant Commander Camila Di Pasquale & Lieutenant Commander Temerant Bast

1,241 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Outbreak
Location: New Risa
Timeline: MD5 - 1430 Hours

Temerant Bast looked up at the rockface and adjusted the harness around his waist. His palms felt moist inside the gloves at the sight of the rockface. This was the first time he'd thought about tackling a mountain since Wilem Bast's accident. The last memory he had of climbing was of falling off the mountain. But the opportunity to climb a real mountain, as opposed to a holographic one, was too good to pass up. And he knew he had to get back to it as quickly as possible, or he'd end up fearing mountains for the rest of his life.

Now that his ankle was fully healed, Doctor Kij and Doctor Stuart had ordered him to take twenty-four hours of shore leave, as part of his healing therapy for the recent events. He had immediately looked up the activities catalog for New Risa, and had discovered the rock climbing facilities available on the island of Larrouy. He adjusted the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose, and double-checked his stock of pitons.

- - - - - - - -

Camila carefully worked her way down the rockface wearing a rugged material gold and black set of climbing gear complete with a helmet. She had a climbing harness attached to her waist and legs, two hundred and fifty feel of high strength rope which she had doubled and gradually paced out and attached another carabiner. She set her duranium climbing piton against the rock face before hammering it in with the hammer end of her climbing pick and reached for the talc bag at her hips to make sure her hands didn't get wet and slip on the way down. A small pack on her back had a field medical kit and several other tools which were attached to the outside via breakaway hooks if she needed them in a hurry.

She looked up and was pleased that she was already at the halfway point of her climb down towards the beach. She knew it was a mistake to look down during a climb, so she kept her attention on the rock in front of her as her toes searched for the next ledge down that could support her weight. The sound of the surf coming up on the beach below was a gentle, teasing sound and she was glad that the wind wasn't bad as she set another piton.

- - - - - - - -

Bast was halfway up the rockface when he looked up and noticed another shape sliding down alongside him. He was surprised to encounter the Black Hawk Security Chief, but it was a pleasant surprise.

"'Afternoon Lieutenant," he greeted. He squinted against the sunlight. "Nice day for a climb."

Camila started and was grateful for the added security of her climbing rope and the pitons were firmly hammered into the rocks. She looked over and gave Bast a smile when she saw who is was. "Fancing meeting you here," she said. "We're off duty so call me Camila. I thought I was the only crazy one on the ship."

"Oh I highly doubt that," replied Bast. "I'm sure everyone on board has their crazy streak..."

He let himself dangle at the end of his rope, and smiled at the Security Chief. "So what have you been up to here on New Risa?"

"I've just been testing my skills," Camila said. "I can't very well lead a Search and Rescue team if I'm not able to do what I expect others to. I know, pretty sad, isn't it? Working even when on leave."

Bast chuckled. "I can't think of many search-and-rescue scenarios that would involve climbing a 300-meter-high rock face. We'd most likely just land at the top of the mountain with the rescue ships - climbing wouldn't be very time-efficient."

"There's a lot of places that I've been to which weren't accessible due to atmospheric conditions for shuttles and runabouts," she said. "That's when we had to go in on foot. What are you doing here on the rocks?"

Bast scanned the rockface with his eyes, searching for a handfold to continue his climb. "I've been climbing mountains pretty much all my lives," he said. "I died climbing a mountain. Or at least," he said, hoisting himself up a few meters, "my previous host did. Ice climbing."

Camila turned to face the direction he was going. "I've done it a lot in Search and Rescue," she said. "I'd be afraid to do it again if I knew that I had died doing it, though. You are very brave."

"Being brave has nothing to do with it," said Bast, securing his new position. "But if you don't get back on the horse quickly, you'll never get back."

"That's very true," she said with a smile. "If you would like, you can use my pitons I've already set. It will give me a better workout getting back to the top."

Bast examined the rockface, and saw her trail of pitons, just a few meters to the left of where he had been climbing. It would be easy for him to reach her trail. "Thanks," he said. "So you're going down, and then back up?"

"I could go back up with you," Camila offered. "I usually take a break once I reach the bottom, but this will test my endurance."

Bast chuckled. "If you'd like to take a break, we can take one right here."

"I'm game if you are for continuing," she said.

Bast grinned, and searched for a handhold that would take him closer to her climbing trail. Securing his handhold, he pulled and drew himself closer to her. "I'm always game."

Camila reached to the pouch on her hips and put more talc on her hands before she checked the carabiner, rope and her latest piton. "Okay, but you do know it's cheating if you use my trail," she said as a challenge. "Or you could take the easy route and I wouldn't think less of a SAR trainee." Her eyes sparkled with the humor in her challenge, wondering how he would react.

Bast raised an eyebrow as he adjusted his rope line. "If we ever need to do this in an actual SAR operation, we're probably only going to set up two or three rope lines, and climb them up single-file."

"There are times when there just isn't time for that," she said. "But, perhaps we should both go back to the base and rest a minute. It's hot work and clinging to a rock face in the sun without motion isn't good for a climber." She smiled and offered her hand. "So no more talk of work, Temerant?"

"Agreed, Camila," he said, reaching out to grab her hand, some two hundred meters off the ground. He looked down at the rockface below him, and determined that the descent would be simple enough. "I hear there's a bar near here that serves the best Samarian Sunsets this side of the Wormhole," he suggested.

Camila shook on it, then played out her remaining rope and checked how much it was. "Hmm...first one to the bottom buys," she offered with a smile.

Temerant laughed, and loosened his rope so he could start rappelling down the mountainside. "You're on," he called out as he started moving down.

With that, she began to rappel down after him, eager to make it to the bottom first.

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