SAR Training…and a Talk

Posted on 28 Jun 2016 @ 5:43am by Lieutenant Commander Camila Di Pasquale & Commander Terry Walsh

10,666 words; about a 53 minute read

Mission: Risky Business
Location: SAR Training Room
Timeline: MD 2 || 1500 Hours

Terry had been practicing his SAR training from the first session with the Security Chief. Then came the dreaded shore leave. The virus put a good portion of the Black Hawk’s crew in Sickbay, including himself. He remembered having conversations with the voices in his head, some of which he wondered if they weren’t too far off. But he couldn’t remember much after that. All he knew afterwards, he gained from the Security Chief and her Assistant.

But now that he was all better, he was looking to shoot something and fight that…thing…again. So he was on his way to the Training Room that he had used the last time for the scheduled session that he had set up earlier that day with the Lieutenant.

Camila had been steady running from meeting to meeting since the mission briefing and she had nearly forgotten about her appointment with Commander Walsh, and would have it it hadn't been to the session he had schedule earlier. She was in the training facility and standing at the terminal as she tried to figure out what she was going to set up for him this time, her eyes scanning the various Security aspects that she felt he would do good in.

Terry rounded the bend in the corridor and came up to the doors. He paused just outside the zone of the sensors and took a deep breath. He walked up and entered, the doors closing behind him. "Hello, Lieutenant Di Pasquale," he said, walking up.

She looked up as she heard the door open and smiled at the taller Squadron Commander as he entered. "Commander Walsh," she said. "Or should I call you Terry since it's just the two of us again?" She remembered the incident just outside of Sickbay with him and hoped that he had managed to forgive himself, but was reluctant to bring it up immediately.

"Terry, yes, that's okay," he said. "It is just the two of us again. It is Camila, then?" he asked. He had forgotten about their conversation after he had been carried back to the bed in Sickbay. Then he remembered the detail that helped bring him back. Dad. Terry quickly pushed it to the back of his mind. He was here to stay busy, keep active.

"That's right," Camila said. "You can call me Camila any time when we're off duty. I don't consider this to be duty since we're doing it after hours and you entertain me so much." She winked at him as she pointed at the inert training dummies he had fought last time.

"Camila it is, then. And thank you," Terry said. He looked down at the training dummies from the last time and gave a half smile at her comment. Had he been feeling like himself, he would've laughed and said something like...oh so I entertain you, do I? I'm some of kind of circus dog in a tutu walking around on my hind legs while balancing a ball on my nose? Huh? And then he would've laughed even harder. But he wasn't feeling like himself, what with the incident and then the, well, that. So all Camila got was a half smile and, "Hey, I try. But I swear I'm not that much of an entertainer. No song and dance man, here."

She took note of the half smile and the lack of laughter at her comment. Give him time, she thought. "What do you feel like today, Terry? Something light, something hard, something in between?"

"You know, Camila, something light might be good for this session," he said. "It's been ridiculously crazy for me since the end of the mission briefing. I'm already a little beat...I don't need that dummy finishing the job. Besides, I just want to shoot something. And maybe punch it," he said, gesturing to the dummy.

"The firing range it is, then," Camila said. "We have a wide variety of targets to shoot at. What's your preference? Humanoid, non-humanoid or drones?"

Terry thought about that one for a while. He had drones last time, so now it was time to broaden his horizons. And a light setting would be good for what he was about to suggest. "Let's go with humanoids, Camila. Some enemy of the Federation will do just nicely."

Camila thought for a moment as she looked through the database, then created four unmoving holograms of Romulans in full uniform, complete with disruptors at their belts. "Okay. Difficulty level? They range from one, which means you can take them out with ease and to ten, which means they will do their best to kill you and will be incredibly hard to kill in turn."

Terry took a deep breath. "Let's go with a five. Oh, do I get some sort of forest or canyon or someplace with rocks to fight them in? And open holodeck seems kind of unfair to them." He smirked a bit, ready to take out some Romulans.

"Computer, add level two terrain, forested with a box canyon. Active Romulans, level five, scenario ten," she said. A moment later, the training facility changed to a lush forest with the sound of alien animals and avians heard in the background, a small stream and in the distance, the opening of a canyon which cut into the forest. She looked at him as the Romulans vanished. "Okay, Terry. It's all yours. I'll be here, but I won't interfere."

Terry pulled his phaser out and nodded. He quickly turned and dashed into the undergrowth, dodging a low hanging limb. This would hopefully be what he needed. It would keep his mind active and keep him on his toes. One hoped, though, that he wouldn't get 'lost' in this holographic world.

Only after a few minutes into his session, he heard a commotion off to the left. Unable to see very much, he crouched down and listened. It sounded like a bunch of birds were calling to each other. Then they suddenly stopped and took flight. Terry looked up and saw them flying away. He smiled as he checked his phaser. There was going to be stun today. He changed his direction towards the flock's take-off point, expecting that was the way the Romulans were headed.

The moment he changed his direction, a disruptor beam came from behind him and clipped a tree branch that would have been his head if he hadn't turned. Simultaneously, a Romulan came charging through the underbrush from his left with his disruptor raised and shouting "Death to the Federation!"

Terry jumped at the sound of the disruptor fire and the charging Romulan. He grinned and yelled, "Death to the Romulans!" He got ready to fire his phaser at the charging one, when he heard the sound of cracking wood. He quickly moved to the right and ran around the tree, putting something between him and the disruptor fire. He knew where the one Romulan was, but not the other. Or others, for that matter. He fired his phaser at the breaking branch, hoping it would fall and hit the Romulan. But at the very least, create a distraction. He quickly scanned the area now opposite him for the hiding one.

Another disruptor blast drilled into the tree he dodged behind and the Romulan who had been charging carefully made his way towards it. He was silent until a few feet from the tree when his foot stepped on a twig and broke it. The sound of something off to Terry's right moved, and a bush shook to his left.

Terry breathed deeply as his heart raced. Survival instincts kicked in along with a rather base and somewhat maniacal side. He crouched and slowly peered around the tree in the direction of the twig snap. If he could grab that Romulan, he could use him as a shield against whatever was in that bush. Then a wild look sparked in his eyes. If he can't see me, why bother. Just shoot him, he thought. He sneaked around the side of the tree and opened fire on the formerly charging Romulan. Then he turned and vaporized the shaking bush and whatever was inside of it. Terry then ducked under some brush to see if he could hear where the other sound was coming from.

The Romulan who had been coming his way immediately went down and the bush vaporized as he blasted it. To his right, a Sehlat came out and looked at him, then turned and started to charge away before a disruptor blast caught it in the left side and it toppled over.

Terry watched the Sehlat fall and took note of the disruptor blast's origin. He fired his phaser three times in that direction, aiming at different areas. This was a good phaser range simulation...and it was at just the right level for him. At least for right now.

The sound of a body hitting the ground was heard, but another disruptor beam came from his left and the sound of bushes and limbs being pushed aside moved away from him rapidly.

Aww hell, Terry thought to himself. That was close...again. He took off in the general direction of the sound. After a few minutes, he slowed down as he started to lose track of the escaping Romulan. Terry could also hear the sound of the stream getting louder. He followed the broken bushes and limbs until they gave way to softer ground, a few less trees, and smaller bushes. He held back a bit as he realized that this area was more open and he would be easily targeted. Terry started looking at the soft ground, searching for the imprint of of heavy Romulan boots.

As he followed the broken bushes with his eyes on the ground, a heavy body fell on him from above and a hard fist began to slam into his side even before they even hit the ground, a string of Romulan curses coming from his attacker.

Terry hit the ground with the Romulan still pounding his side. It hurt. A lot. He had been caught off guard and it burned him up. The pain fueled his anger and he maneuvered until he could see the Romulan's face. He spit in his enemies face, twice. Then he started pounding the Romulan in his sides. Pain. Anger. He managed to get himself rolled over as he kept slamming his gorilla sized fists into his sides. Terry sat on top of the Romulan. Anger became wrath. He put his hands around his neck and tried to squeeze the life right out of him. "Die!" he shouted.

The Romulan fought back for all he was worth but the hands around his neck was slowly but surely draining the life from him. He reached for the human's head and tried to press his thumb's into the man's eyes, but his strength failed rapidly and his arms fell to his sides. A minute later, a rattle came from him and his eyes stared into eternity as the light went out of them.

Terry leaned back, still angry...still wrathful. He was breathing deeply. He crawled over and grabbed his phaser. Okay, it was a bit more difficult than he thought. But he swore that the last little Rommie would get his. Terry crawled back over to tree that had been a hiding spot, looked around the other side, and leaned back against it. When he caught his breath, he got up to a crouching position and looked around. Not seeing anything, he listened.

"Federation!" the Romulan called from the distance, his voice echoing oddly several times before it stopped. "You may have taken my men, but you will die before you take me!" With the trees all around him, it was hard to get a fix on where it was at, but the only place such an echo could originate from in that area would be the canyon he had seen earlier.

Terry grinned. He got up and ran at a decent, but not too fast, pace back to the canyon he saw earlier. This was it. He arrived at the mouth of the canyon and screamed, "I don't plan on taking you! I plan on killing you! You filth!"

Only an echo of taunting laughter replied to him before the woods went eerily silent. The box canyon had a number of ledges, deep shadows and a few cavelets where anyone could hide if they pressed themselves back against the stone of the canyon walls. A few hardy trees clung to life here and there among the scattered boulders, some large enough to hide behind.

Terry looked around and took in the venue of the Romulan's last stand. Plenty of places to hide was the first thing that came to mind. So he thought he would try appealing to his Romulan side. "Where are you?! Come out and face me like a warrior! You're not a Romulan...you're a coward! Hiding behind rocks and in caves! COWARD!" Terry held a tight grip on his phaser and scanned the canyon walls.

His voice echoed back at him from the canyon walls and startled every living thing into complete silence. The heat of the day began to rest on his bald head and uniformed shoulders, but the breeze was lacking in the canyon and the humidity began to condense on his forehead in the form of sweat. Whatever the last remaining Romulan planned to do, sweating him to death seemed to be an added bonus for the enemy.

It was hot and unbearably so. Terry wiped his forehead with the palm of his free hand. The Romulan had not answered and Terry had not moved. But at least everything was quiet for now and he could hear any noise his enemy might make. Of course, it could echo off the canyon walls as his voice did. The origin could be anywhere. He scanned the canyon again and decided to move in slowly, listening and watching.

As Terry continued moving in, he thought he could see the canyon narrowing quite a ways in. But with the blinding sun and sweat running down his face, it was hard to tell. Just in case, he started keeping pretty close to one of the walls so as not to let the Romulan sneak up behind him.

The sound of a disruptor blast echoed in the canyon followed by an ominous rumbling sound that quickly became the sound of boulders cascading down from the lip of the canyon near his location, quickly gathering speed and smaller rocks and trees, some bouncing off the walls to land farther out from where he was.

So this was it, thought Terry. This is what he had in mind...blocking me in. "You know what, Bonehead," yelled Terry, unconsciously reverting back to his Jem'Hadar name-calling, "you're blocked in, too! There's no way out for you except through death!"

"Computer, freeze program!" Camila called out as a boulder the size of a shuttle froze ten feet above Terry's head. "Commander Walsh!" She barked as she walked through the canyon wall and up to him. "You were letting your anger get to you and you almost got yourself killed. In a situation like this, the option is to cover every base, and that includes looking up. The boulder trap was there." She pointed to where they had came from. "if you had just looked. The Romulan was on top of the canyon, not in it."

Terry jerked his head up and looked at the canyon top. He then saw the boulder above his head. He sighed and looked at Camila. "Yeah, I did, didn't I? Sorry about that, Lieutenant Di Pasquale. I'll try to get that under control." SAR was more difficult than he expected it to be. But he wasn't going to let it get the best of him. He was going to get the best of it. He just needed to push that anger back to where it should have stayed to begin with.

"Computer, save program and load program Mountain Lake" she ordered and the scene changed to where they were on a path leading down to a lake where birds dove and flew in the air above it. "Don't apologize, Terry," she said as she started to walk down the steps. "Learn from it and move on with the experience that won't let the same thing happen again."

A cool wind blew the scents of nature and the cool water their way and the sound of the birds and other background noises replaced the previous scene. At the bottom of the path was a large bench and a table which had a pitcher of some cold liquid and two glasses filled with ice waited on them.

He watched as the scene changed from the canyon training scenario to a more serene environment. Terry nodded. "Point taken, Camila. Thanks." He followed her down the steps and wondered if more Romulans were going to fall from the trees or pop up from the lake. Or maybe they would wait until he and Camila were seated at the bench and table. That would make more sense, waiting until they were least expecting it. Terry went along for the ride. "This is a beautiful place," he said walking down the steps and holding the handrail.

"Relax," Camila said as she saw his eyes moving over the scenery while she headed for the bench. "This is a place I like to come and just relax without worry. I used to come here all the time when I was in SAR training just so I wouldn't scream my head off with others around. Did you know that SAR only graduates an average of five to ten percent of the people who take it?"

Terry's shoulders had a bit more droopiness to them than before. His breathing slowed to a more casual level. His arms hung more loosely at his side and even swung a bit more freely. Yeah, Terry Walsh had visibly relaxed. "Alright, relaxed," he said. "And no, I didn't know that about SAR training and graduates. But I can see the reality, though. Even with just starting out."

"Class Four in 2356 didn't graduate a single sentient," Camila said as she poured the drinks for them. "Class Six in 2367 started with one hundred and seventeen people and finished with thirty-four. My class started with one hundred and ten and graduated fifty. It's a hard eighteen month pipeline and I've been taking it easy so far with you."

Terry sat down on the bench and watched Camila pour the drinks. "Well I appreciate it, Camila. Taking it slow and steady with me in the beginning will help me get more used to the SAR program." He stopped, thought about what he said, then brushed it off. "But I'm sure it'll get harder. Gonna have to, really, if I expect to get up to a basic level without going through the entire eighteen month course."

She handed him one of the drinks and sat down beside of him with her drink in hand. She watched him for a moment and took note of his words and his previous actions. "Is something bothering you, Terry?" she asked quietly. "I don't want to push you to talk about things you don't want to talk about, but I don't want you distracted when you come here for training."

Terry took a drink and held his glass in his hands, propped in his lap. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He'd never 'talked' to anyone before. He'd always avoided counselors and anyone else...well. Camila had offered in Sickbay and now was probably just as good as any. He turned to her and said, "Yeah, there is. It's everything that resulted from that crappy virus, Camila. I mean, well, that and everything that you said happened during it. And that was because of... Oh hell, I don't even know where to start with it all." He lifted his glass and took another drink.

Camila listened without interrupting until he paused to take a drink. "It wasn't your fault, Terry. From what I heard and experienced with others, the virus caused people to hallucinate. I was in a fracas in Talons and my Assistant Chief had to talk down a man who thought he was a pirate back in the days of sailing ships. The Captain's Yeoman tried to kill a cadet and another cadet thought her boyfriend and brother were plotting to kill her. Just let it out. I won't judge you."

Terry finished that swig of his drink and looked back to Camila. He shifted and put his back in the corner of the bench's arm and back. "That's crazy, all that stuff that happened. So I wasn't the only one who hallucinated then?" Yeah, he was tap dancing. But he just found it so hard to open up about this sort of thing. Even with the assurance of someone like Camila. He was just a hard can to open...now.

"No, you weren't, Terry," she said as she reached out to lay a hand on his arm. "I've only been active Security for two years, but in that time, I've learned that it's easier to let it out instead of keeping it bottled up. If the simulation you just went through was real, you would have been dead because you were distracted by your anger and thoughts."

He knew she was right. Deep down, he knew it. "I'm sorry," he said. "Sorry for trying to kill you and Lieutenant Cooper and that hostage I took. All I saw was Jem'Hadar. I just knew that I had been captured and they were going to torture me or whatever the Dominion did to it's captives. And all I knew was that I had to escape...somehow." He shook his head.

"Go on," Camila urged him. "The Dominion War took a heavy toll on everyone and you weren't one of the ones who escaped it unscathed. It re-emerged during your hallucinations and you don't have to apologize. No one got hurt, Terry. Talking about your experiences can help."

He looked the Security Chief straight in the eyes. "May the sixteenth, twenty-three seventy-five...I watched my wingman, Mark Shelby, die as his Typhoon-class fighter exploded in front of me because of a Jem'Hadar attack ship." There, it was out...finally. "I shoulda done something. Anything. We never got captured, though."

"I'm sorry to hear about your Mister Shelby, but what could you have done, Terry? We always feel guilt over being the survivors and always think we could have and should have done something else, but at the time...there wasn't much that could have been done. " she said softly. "War is a terrible thing and many fine officers lost their lives in it while the rest live with the scares. Have you ever shared that with anyone else?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah, it's a terrible thing. And you're right, there are scars...lots of them. But anybody with access to Starfleet files can read the after action report in the mission debrief," said Terry. "I know what you mean, though. And no, I haven't ever shared that with anyone else. Not even with my family." He took another drink. "Survivor's guilt..."

"It can be a horrible thing," Camila said. "And I'll never betray your confidence, Terry. Reading a file isn't the same as living it and I'm honored that you feel you can talk to me about it. I told you when you were in sickbay that my door was always open to you and it will be. It doesn't matter it's in the middle of Delta Shift or after Alpha....I'll be there for you."

She took a sip of her drink. "Would you like to tell me what was going through your mind after the incident?"

"You're a good person, Camila. And great friend," he added. "Thanks. My mind afterwards, huh? That's not a good place to be. But...you were reading part of my personnel file and brought up a family emergency that made me resign from the Marines. That's what started bringing me back...my dad. Or rather, his death." He looked at Camila. "It was the memories, the images, the funeral...everything."

"As long as you keep him alive in your heart and memories, he'll always be with you, Terry," Camila said quietly. "I'm glad that your memories of him brought you back. He must have been an amazing man for you to come back from what you were going through."

"He was, Camila, he was. He was an old, retired Sergeant Major from the Starfleet Marines." Terry paused a moment and smiled. "And he had a sense of humor like you wouldn't believe. I loved it. He and mom used to get into it, going back and forth with wisecracks, I mean. She always won, though. Little Irish woman had a streak." Terry shook his head and chuckled.

Camila laughed. "I bet you got the best of both of them," she said. "I've seen you smile and laugh and I want to see that again." She reached for the pitcher and filled his glass again. "You're a good man, Terry and I don't want to see you risk yourself because you were reliving the past."

"Thanks, Camila," said Terry. "I like to laugh, but I just haven't been able too lately. I want to get back to that, though...back to genuinely smiling and laughing. Not putting up a front because I have to. That's not me." He paused to take a drink of his refilled glass. "I want to be that Terry again. The one before the virus, before...the voices." He looked to Camila. "You know, before I started hallucinating, I was hearing voices in my head. But not normal voices...inhuman voices. Many of them. And I was yelling at them at times."

"That was before the hallucinations?" she asked a bit cautiously. "I don't think you're crazy, Terry, but is that something you've experienced before or was it induced by everything that was going on?"

Terry chuckled. "Only the day before, Camila. And I think it was induced by everything that was going on. Sort of a subconscious way of dealing with it all...the virus, Mark Shelby, all of it. The more I've thought about it, the more I wonder if it was my brain's way of talking about it. The inhuman aspect of the voices was probably my fear of talking about it all. Anyway, that's my thoughts about it." He sighed and took another drink. "Thanks for not thinking I'm crazy, Camila." He smiled.

"You're welcome, Terry," Camila said and returned the smile. "Just know that it wasn't your fault. You're a good man who has been affected by a series of events beyond your control. You have friends who are willing to help you get past this, and you will. I have faith in you."

Terry took a deep breath. "It's good to hear that, Camila. Really. It's hard, though, getting to the realization that it wasn't my fault. None of it. Not Shelby's death. Not dad's death. Not the virus and hallucinations. And not the..." He stopped. "As far as friends right now, I need to work on that. I count a small handful. Maybe. But this is a good start." He smiled at Camila.

Camila took a sip of her refreshing fruit juice and settled back. "That's right, Terry. I know it's hard but when I was in Academy and learned that death was a part of my job, it took me a while to accept that I may be responsible for the death of another sentient being as well as seeing fellow officers die. While it is a part of our jobs, we do have to attempt to move forward and see that it doesn't happen again. In the meantime, we find close friends and we talk it out instead of holding it in."

"I get that," he said. "It's time to move forward. But it'll probably be baby steps to start out with. Fighter pilots usually don't experience death so up close and personal on the job. But I like the idea of finding close friends to talk it out with." He looked at Camila. "All I've ever done is hold this stuff in. I've been able to compartmentalize it until recently. Now all the walls are broken down and it's all coming out at once. I'm gonna need to find some close friends, aren't I?"

"You have one right in front of you, Terry," Camila said softly. "I'll be your friend as long as you'll have me as one and I don't abandon friends. I told you in sickbay and I'll tell you again: My door is always open to you, Terry."

Terry nodded and smiled. "That sounds good, Camila. All of it. You've got a friend here. And I may take you up on that open door policy sometime." He was already feeling much better. "Talking about it really does helps." He held his hand up in a 'high five' and grinned at Camila. Not half-way, but a full-fledged grin. "C'mon..."

She raised her hand and high-fived him with a grin a mile wide. "That's more like it!" she said enthusiastically. "That's the Terry I want to see!"

"And that's the Terry I wanna be!" he exclaimed. "No, scratch that. That's the Terry I'm gonna be!" He downed his glass of juice.

Camila jumped to her feet and set her glass down. "This calls for a celebration!" She offered him a hand with a smile.

"Eh?" said Terry standing. Then he took her hand, smiled back and shrugged. "Oh well, lead the way to the celebration!"

With a wicked grin, she gripped his hand and pivoted her hip while pulling and attempted to send the taller Squadron Commander into the lake. "Away we go!"

"Hey! What are you doing?" Terry found himself off balance and being pulled into the lake. Thinking quickly, Terry tightened his grip on Camila's hand and grabbed that arm with his other hand, pulling her into the lake right behind him.

Camila acked when he tightened his grip and laughed as she hit the water. Sputtering water, she stood up in the knee deep water at the shore and shook her head. "Well, I guess it was a good day to go swimming," she laughed.

Terry just sat in the shallows for a minute, laughing loudly. It felt good...all of it. "Yeah," he said, once he calmed down a bit, "a good day for a swim in a cool mountain lake. Can't beat that. Hey, thanks for everything Camila. I haven't laughed like that in days."

She grinned from ear to ear and then looked down at her dripping clothes and him sitting there. "You realize that we don't have a change of clothes here...right?"

He looked up at her. "Uh, no, I didn't realize that. Huh." He paused and gave it some thought. "Hey, we're in a holodeck. Let's order up a dryer of some kind that blows hot air. We can stand in front of it and it could dry the clothes. Heh, Walsh and wear." He cracked up laughing.

"Or we can use the replicator to get dry clothes," Camila laughed at the scene he had presented. "I don't need my hair looking all wild and poofy by a dryer."

Terry laughed and almost snorted, but managed to keep that little gem to himself. "Well yeah, if you want to take the boring old Starfleet way out." He laughed as he looked at Camila and pictured her hair all wild and poofy.

"Well, we could also slog our way through the ship, dripping water everywhere," she said.

"Oh, now that would be fun," he said. "If anyone stares at us strangely, we just run up and hug them!" He realized that he hadn't come up with stupid ideas like that one in a long time. He wasn't sure exactly how opening up and talking about things helped, but it did. And he liked it. This was him...the real him.

Camila started laughing again. "Wet hugs for all!" She turned and leaned in to give him a hug, getting more soaked after she had stood up from the initial splash down.

Terry hugged Camila back and realized he was still sitting. When the hug was finished, he stood. "You know, Camila, you're an awesome friend." He smirked. "If we ever hangout in Talon's, they're gonna have to call Security."

She laughed again. "You're an awesome friend, too, Terry," she said, then smirked. "I'm the Chief of Security. They'd obey me and leave."

Terry slowly grinned. "Oh the things I could get away with. Uh, wait a minute, never mind. You don't need to know about the things I could get away with."

Camila narrowed her eyes at him, but the grin never left her lips. "Don't make me get my new Security Investigations Officer and K-9 Chief on you," she said. "She has ways of making poeple
talk."

"Eh, I'm already talking, Camila." He smiled. "Now what say we get out of this lake. I'm getting chills now." He rubbed his arms quickly in an attempt to warm them up.

"Computer, increase lake and sun temperature by ten centigrade," she said as she helped him get up. "There. That should help."

Terry felt the warmth of the sun on his skin as the temperature rose. Then as the temperature of the water got warmer, he shivered. "Yeah, it helps a lot. And thanks for the hand-up. Heh, in more ways than one this evening." He had dealt with at least a couple of things this evening by simply talking about them. But there was still that one thing that pulled at the back of his mind. His and Mackenzie's break-up. But that wasn't really a story for anyone right now. Now, he just relished in the thought of having a new friend that he could talk to.

Camila walked beside of him back to the bench. "It's been my pleasure, Terry," she said. "You're a good man and I'm proud to call you a friend."

"Hey, if there's any pleasure to be had, it's mine," replied Terry, walking beside her. "You've helped me be me once again. There's going to be lots of pleasure in that. But I know what you mean. I'm happy to have you as a friend. And you're a good woman, too." Terry reached the bench and sat down, sticking his legs straight out.

She smiled as she sat down in the warm sun and filled their glasses again. "You know, I think you're the first male friend that I've made on here so far and I'm looking forward to spending more time getting to know you. You seem like a really decent man."

Terry reached forward and took the glass, nodding to Camila in thanks. "You know, I haven't had too many female friends that were just that, friends. Oh, hey, speaking of getting to know, if we're going to hang out, I need to know what you enjoy doing. I'm sure don't 'security' in your off time."

"Let me think," Camila said as she reviewed her hobbies and off duty interests. "I like to do Parkour, play electric violin, I run, swim and mountain climb. I got into Orbital Skydiving during my SAR training, and I practice Jiu Jitsu on a regular basis. How about you?"

Terry's eyes went wide. "Me? Nothing near what you do little miss active. I like to hunt, grill, hang out with my buddies, and...." He paused. "And exquisite wines," he said, a lower tone to his voice.

"Wine?" she perked up at that. "Exquisite wines?" She unconsciously licked her lips as if she were suddenly dry.

"Yeah, wines of all kinds. But exquisite ones especially," Terry said. "Are you familiar with any? Or were those questioning replies out of surprise?"

"I don't really have a favorite, but I do like a good wine," Camila said.

"I have a few bottles of what I consider the best of the best," said Terry. "And my all time favorite. They're in a cool storage unit back in my quarters. It's Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and I planned on keeping them only for very special occasions. But I also have some bottles of Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay from the Alto Adige wineries of Northern Italy. And few 'base' wines for regular consumption."

"That sounds really good," she said as she pictured the wines flowing over her tongue and down her throat. She shook her head to clear it. "I never really developed a passion for anything like collecting something as fine as those. Well, other than my violins, which I've only played once since I've been on board." She paused and laughed. "Which led to a rather unusual event."

"I'm sure you have some very fine violins," said Terry. He grinned at her last statement and wondered... "So, what was this unusual event that came about because of your violin playing? And I'd hope that you haven't played only once because of that."

"I got promoted to Lieutenant and made the Chief of Security," Camila told him. "And I haven't played since then because I haven't had time."

"Ohhh," said Terry. "I understand that. More responsibility does tend to lead to less of the things we like to do. Since assuming command of the fighter squadron, I haven't had a chance to fire up a grill in the holodeck. I usually just replicate something or go to Talon's."

"I can't remember the last time I actually cooked something," she admitted. "It isn't that I don't know how, but Security keeps me so busy that I just don't have time. I tried to make an meal for one person before and the ship went to red alert before I could finish and ended up catching on fire because neither of us turned it off before we ran."

Terry tried to hide a smile, but to no effect. "I'm sorry," he said. "Fire is nothing to laugh at. But...the ship caught fire or the meal?"

"The meal," Camila laughed. "It set off the fire suppression system in my quarters and the computer registered it as an intruder alert because of the red alert."

"Really," he said, taking another drink. "That sounds like a major computer malfunction. Or internal sensors or something. Anyway, I bet Security keeps you even busier now that you're Chief." Terry had forgotten about everything for quite a few minutes and it felt real good.

"You can say that again," she said as she took a drink of her own. "But I wouldn't give it up for anything. Captain Geisler trusted me to run Security for his ship after Commander Del Rosario turned out to be Consortium and I'm not going to betray his trust. It doesn't matter if my personal time gets cut short or not. I have a greater thing to take care of now."

Terry nodded. "I can understand that. You've got an entire ship and it's crew to look after now. And they need somebody they can trust. Especially after that whole mess." He paused, trying to think of another subject. They had already talked about enough bad things. "This is a nice place, er, program you've got here. You say you come here to get away from it all?"

"Yeah," Camila said with a smile. "I first learned to swim here when I was about five years old. My Dad brought me here fishing a lot and one day he said he spotted a really big fish. When I jumped up to look and asked where, he tossed me in and said I was the sucker. Of course, he didn't mean it, but I had to learn to swim with him standing there."

"I don't imagine he did. But it sounds like you two got along really well," he said. "Also sounds like he was a pretty hands-on kind of a teacher. You really learned to sink or swim, huh." Terry looked at Camila and grinned.

"I was a bit of a tomboy growing up, so things like that didn't really bother me," she said. "Now my little brother Thomas...he would have screamed his head off until emergency services showed up to save him."

Terry smiled. "Siblings can sometimes be quite the opposite. My nieces were like that when they were younger. But then as they got older, you couldn't separate them. They became the best of friends." He paused and looked around the lake. "My dad had a cabin in the mountains. We never had a lake, but we had a stream. Dad and I used to go up there and hunt. The whole family would come sometimes and we'd all have a great time."

"We never had a cabin here, but we came here all the time," Camila told him. "Do you have a program for the cabin that you and your family went to, Terry?"

"Yeah, I do," he said. "It's my getaway, Camila. Kinda like this one is yours. So I totally get where you're coming from. Most of the time, I use it for hunting. But on occasion, I've used it in the past to go to and think."

"You can load it up here if you want," she offered. "I'd like to see it if you don't mind, and it's on Security's time since this is our training holosuite."

Terry looked at Camila and grinned. "Well, if it's really okay and you really want to see it... Oh, uh, we might want to stand up. Computer, run program Walsh-beta-four-seven." Camila's mountain lake and bench faded and his dad's mountain cabin came into existence. They were down near the stream where the fire pit was located. The sounds of birds filled the air and there was a slight, cool breeze coming down from the snow-caps. Downstream and off in the distance was a large meadow. He looked over at his new friend and smiled.

Camila stood up as the scene changed and she gasped at the beauty of it all. "This place is amazing, Terry," she said. "I don't think that I would have ever left if I had had this before I joined Starfleet. What did it take to get you away from here?"

He chuckled and took a seat in one of the chairs. "Please, have a seat. It was hard, leaving this. We spent a lot of summers up here while dad was still on Active Duty. When he retired, we practically lived up here. The house back in San Diego was more like the vacation home. But it was flying that got me away from here, Camila. I used to lay on the hill back there," he said, gesturing to the little rise that held the foundation for the cabin, "and look up that the sky and treetops. I could see the birds flying and darting from tree to tree. And I wanted that, what the birds had. Nothin' but them and the sky. Yeah, sure, I could pilot a starship, but it would never be as close to what those birds had. Fighters...that was as close as I could get. And dad being a Starfleet Marine, well, where else was a young guy gonna go."

She listened quietly as Terry spoke and heard the special tones he used when speaking of the cabin and time that he had spent with him family here. "It sounds like a really special place and I'm honored that you'd bring me here, Terry," she said. "I've never really given thought to flying like that, but I can almost imagine what it's like. When I was on duty earlier on the bridge, that one cadet....Umm...Khan, I think her name is. She seemed so happy just be able to sit at the helm and be the one to set the course and warp speed. Is that what it's like?"

"Not too many people know about this," he said, looking at Camila. "Actually, less than you can count on your hand. And thank you for showing me your mountain lake." He made himself comfortable in a chair. "What Cadet Khan seemed to go through is just the beginning. But piloting a starship is quite a bit different than piloting a starfighter. In a starship, you're behind bulkheads, hulls, shields and who knows what else. You're safe. Not so in a fighter. There's not much between you and certain death in the vacuum of space. That's why it's more like a bird. Other than the small amount of safety the fighter affords in comparison to a starhip, it's just you and the sky. Or you and space. Freedom."

"I think I can relate to that a little bit, but the way you make it sound, there's nothing that can compare," Camila said. "The biggest thrills that I can even think of just don't stand up in comparison. I mean, orbital skydiving and that is pretty thrilling to be in free fall from orbit around a planet with only a parachute to keep you from certain death."

Terry looked at her. "I know you mentioned orbital skydiving earlier, but I never would've pegged you for it." Then he grinned. "I make it sound that way because it's what I love. I'm just glad the Captain Geisler came to me when the Black Knights were brought back aboard. I don't know what I would've done if he'd asked someone else and I was still behind the helm. Hell, I would've even asked for a transfer from Flight Control to a pilot in the squadron just get back in one."

She laughed. "The orbital skydiving appealed to the tomboy in me and the free fall is insane when you know it's going to take you a while to get down to a planet even without a chute. I never would have taken you for a Helmsman. I could see you easily going stir crazy at the helm or trying maneuvers only a fighter could do."

"Heh, when I left the Corps and came back into the Fleet, there weren't many options for fighter pilots. If I wanted to keep on flying, which I did, I had to go into Flight Control," said Terry. "When I first arrived here, I was the Assistant Chief Flight Control Officer and Chief Support Craft Pilot. It...was...boring. Stir crazy is accurate. But I did get to fly the shuttles and runabouts, so it wasn't as bad. Still...I missed my fighters."

"I think I would find almost every other department boring, too," Camila said. "I'm glad that you were given the Black Knights and still get to fly."

"Me too, Camila, me too," he said. "There's nothing more I'd rather do than fly. Though, I wouldn't mind trying orbital skydiving sometime. That's the way to get the bird in the sky feeling without the fighter."

"If you really want that sensation, wear a wingsuit while flying," she said. "Computer, generate wingsuit image from file Di Pasquale Four." A moment later, an image of a wingsuit appeared and she pointed at it. "See the cloth between the arms and body and between the legs? That enables you to sail on the winds and land without a parachute."

Terry looked at the suit as he listened to Camila. "Ohh, I'm loving this. Yeah, jumping out while in orbit, free-falling, and landing without a parachute. That's what I want to experience. That's the sensation I'm looking for. If I have some time during the next shore leave, this is definitely on the to-do list."

"I was going to do it on the recent leave, but I decided to do some mountain climbing first, then ran into Temerant and we ended up going out to a bar," Camila said. "After that...well...things started going south."

Terry recognized the name Temerant. Yeah, the Ops Chief. "Computer, replicate the small table by the front door of the cabin next to the fire pit, two glasses, and pitcher of fresh squeezed lemonade with ice." All of it shimmered into existence and Terry filled the two glasses. He looked at Camila and smiled, handing her one of the glasses. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said.

"The virus..." she shook her head. "What's your favorite thing to hunt?" she asked as she took the glass of lemonade.

"It took it's toll on all of us in one way or another," he said. "Anyway, I like to hunt big game. It's my favorite. Elk has got to be one of the top ones, though. I once cut a steak into strips, marinated in my own stir-fry sauce, and grilled it. I put it on a bed of steamed basmati rice and standard stir-fry vegetables. It was delicious." He took a drink of lemonade and smiled. Just like mom used to make at the cabin.

"Ohhh....that sounds really good," Camila said, then paused. "What's an Elk?"

Terry laughed. "Sometimes I forget. Sorry about. An Elk is large member of the deer family found in the Rocky Mountains of North America. Better yet, why don't I just show you. Computer, generate a five year old bull Elk across the stream and animate." Across the stream appeared a large male elk that began walking along the water's edge. "Now that's big game."


"Woah," she said as she looked at the large creature. "The closest thing to that in Italy where I grew up was the Red Deer, but we never hunted them. What is it like to hunt?"

Terry sat there a moment, sipping his lemonade. "Well, it's kind of hard to explain, for me at any rate. But I like the thrill of it. Seeing the animal, tracking it, waiting for the best shot, and then taking it. Some people like to sit in hiding and wait for the game to come by them. Not me. I prefer to track it and watch it. I want the best shot, the one-shot-one-kill shot." Terry watched as the large male elk wandered into the forest. He took another drink and turned to Camila. "What kind of music do you like to play on your violin?"

"The only time I shoot to kill is when I don't have a choice, but I would if I had to." Camila watched the elk go off and turned back to face him and look a drink of lemonade. "I play a lot of classical and other varieties, but I mix it with something called dubstep. It's a form of dance music, typically instrumental, characterized by a sparse, syncopated rhythm and a strong bassline. When I mix it with my violin, it creates a unique sound."

Terry listened, taking in the whole thing, but understanding very little. "I've never heard of dubstep before," he said. "But I do listen to classical again. Mostly after missions or right before bed, though. It helps me to relax a little bit. So, dance music mixed in with violin...I bet that presents an active style as well as sound."

"Perhaps you'd like to come and listen to me play some time," she offered. "The Captain has been the only one to see me perform so far."

"You know, that sounds like a...heyyy...why don't you do a demonstration or something?" said Terry. "You wouldn't have to go through a whole concert or anything. Unless you wanted to. But some kind of demonstration would be cool."

Camila shook her head. "No, thank you," she said. "I don't perform well in front of crowds. I'll do one-on-one, but no crowds."

"Aw, that's okay, then," he said. "I'm sure you'd do good. But I won't push it. I think I'll take you up on the offer sometime, though. I'd like to hear violin music mixed with this dubstep." He took another, long, drink of his lemonade.

She took another sip of her drink as well. "Then I'll see if I can find one of my better ones for you, Terry. I like to do them in the holodeck and create stages to go with the music."

"Any of them would do just fine," said Terry. "But I'm honored that you want to do one of your better ones. Thanks. So, you create your own stages?" he asked. "You mean you match them to whatever kind of music you're playing?"

"Yes, but sometimes, I just pick random backdrops from the stored images and then work with them until it feels right for what I'm playing," Camila said. "When I got promoted, I was playing a song called Master of Tides and was dancing in a fountain while wearing a pirate outfit."

Terry nearly choked on his lemonade. "You were what?" he said. "So, promoted...that was the one the Captain saw? A fountain dancing pirate? That had to be something. What was his response?"

"Congrats, you're a Lieutenant and Chief of Security. Don't shoot me. Dismissed," she told him in a deep voice. "I kid you not. That's almost word for word for the gist of it."

Terry started laughing...a real good, side aching laugh. It was not only Camila's imitation of the Captain that did it, but also his brief comments. "Oh man, that poor guy," he said, after calming down. "He probably had no idea what to think. Oh...heh, so, is the pirate one of your better ones?"

"I don't know, but he liked it," Camila said. "I can't really judge how good they are based on what I like. It's difficult to see the trees when I'm surrounded by the forest."

"I can see that," said Terry. "So, remembering what you said about the last time you cooked something, have you ever tried grilling instead of regular cooking?"

"No," she said. "But I'm sure that it turns out even better than regular cooking."

"You should try it sometime," Terry replied. "I've even got some good marinades and rubs you could use. Just let me know what kind of meat you'd be grilling." Then he paused and looked at Camila, just catching what she had just said about not having tried grilling. "Wait, do you know how to grill?"

"I know how to grill people while interrogating them," Camila said. "Does that count?"

Terry had to turn his head so as not to get Camila when he spewed his lemonade. He wiped his mouth and laughed. "First, how did you keep a straight face and say that? Second, I suppose it would only count if you sprinkle them with seasoning first."

Camila burst out laughing when he spewed his drink until she held her sides and gasped for air. "I'm Security," she said. "We use hot pepper to season them, first, then we add a bed of rice for them to kneel on before we start cooking."

Terry started laughing so much that his eyes began to water. "Oh man, I'm laughing so hard, I'm crying! Hot pepper and a bed of rice! You, Camila Di Pasquale, are a riot." This felt really good. It had been a while since he'd had this much fun hanging out with someone. "Are you sure you weren't a Starfleet Marine a past life or something?"

"No, just crazy," she said with a smile. "That and I had an instructor at the Academy who told us various ways of making people scream for mercy without saying a word to them."

"Could have fooled me, then," he said. "But really? You, uh...man, I need to remember to never get arrested and interrogated by you." He took another drink of his lemonade and realized it was empty. Realizing his might not be the only one, he glanced over to Camila's glass. "Would you like some more, Camila?"

"Please," Camila said as she held it out. "I would never interrogate you, Terry. I know easier ways of getting to people than brutal methods. If I were that way, I would have stunned you and the Security Ensign in Medical and let them sort out the mess. I prefer to talk first and shoot only if I have to."

Terry thought back to that moment. "Yeah, that makes sense. You did try talking first...and it worked. Here we are talking again, and it still works." He got up and poured her a little more lemonade. "I don't think I'll be ever be able to say enough 'thank you's' to you for this."

"Friends don't need thanks, Terry," she said as she took another drink of the lemonade. "Friends understand. Any time you feel the need to talk, I'll be here. We can grill, discuss things, throw each other in the water or just drink lemonade and watch the sky."

Terry smiled. "I like that, Camila...friends understand. And I'd be a jerk if I didn't tell you the same thing. My door is always open, too. Or cabin or stream, whichever." He took another long drink of his ice cold lemonade. "I think grilling sometime would be fun. Just bring your favorite cut of meat, seasoned however you like, and I'll throw it on. How do you like it cooked, anyway?"

"Just a hint of pink in the middle," Camila answered him. "Anything else, and it takes the juice out of the meat. No one likes dry meat, after all."

"No, indeed," he said. "I like mine on the medium side of medium well; still juicy and tender. Oh, and the right seasoning just makes it... Aw, now I'm getting hungry for steak and glass of Chardonnay."

"If you're hungry, we can have dinner," she said, the wine sounding extra good to her. "Or grill here."

"Eh, grilling is better when it's been seasoned or marinated," he said. "And I'll just replicate a sandwich or something when I get back to my quarters. But you're more than welcome to see what's in the fridge up there." Terry gestured towards the cabin behind them.

"No, but thank you," Camila said, disappointed that she wouldn't get to sample some excellent wine. "I'll probably head to Talons and grab something."

"They have some good food," he said, taking a drink of his lemonade. "I recommend the New York Strip. I've had it a few times and it tastes really good. Oh, and a good pairing for the Strip is Tolaini Valdisanti. Just in case."

"I've only been there once to have dinner," she said. "Though the last time I was there, it was to break up a brawl."

"A brawl? What in the world happened in Talon's that required a Security presence?" he asked. "I know they serve drinks, but I would think..." he let his voice trail. "A brawl?"

"One caused by hallucinations," Camila said a bit quietly. "We ended up flooding the entire place with Anesthizine, then going through them one by one to see who it had affected and who it didn't."

Terry's countenance dropped slightly. "Oh, I see. I didn't realize that the virus was so widespread on the ship. Did that happen a lot?"

"A few times, but no one was seriously hurt," she told him. "Still, everything worked out and we're all okay now, and we're going to get the people responsible for this."

"I like the sound of that, Camila," said Terry. "We'll get them, alright. And you're right, we're all okay now and that's what counts." He smiled at her. "We can make it through this. This ship's got a great crew that knows what they're doing. Best part, we trust each other. The Consortium doesn't have that."

"We do and that trust is going to be the end of them," Camila said as she got up and stretched. "This place is so relaxing, Terry."

"It is. That's why I like it. That's why I liked it back then, too." He watched as she got up and stretched. "I'm sorry," he said, "I seem to have let time get away from us." Terry stood and looked around at the serenity. He smiled.

"It's already, Terry," Camila assured him. "I can see why you'd want to spend time here. I've logged a lot of hours in my lake program as well."

"I'm sure you have. Places like this are hard to come by. Oh, thanks for the SAR training...and the talk, Camila. This has been real helpful, whether you realize it or not. And I've gained a new...and awesome...friend out of it," said Terry.

"You're welcome, Terry," she said with a smile. "I'm glad to call you a friend as well and I'm looking forward to spending more time with you when we have time."

"Me too," he said. "Hanging out with friends is one of the things that I really like to do...a lot. Maybe I'll even bring a bottle," he said. He looked at Camila and walked over to her. Terry put his arms around Camila and gave her a friendly hug.

Camila returned the hug. "I'd like that," she said after she released him and stepped back. "And maybe you can introduce me to hunting one of those big monster Elk you showed me. Is setting sixteen enough to take one down before it gores you with those monster horns?" Her tone was light and joking, but she half wondered what it would take to bring one down.

Terry grinned. "Tell you what, I'll go over the specifics with you before we go hunting an Elk. How's that sound?" He patted her on the shoulder. "You're a good woman, Camila."

"That sounds good to me," she said with a smile. "Let me know and I'll be here with my TR-116 ready."

"I'll let you know," said Terry. "And that's a good choice, too. It's what I like to hunt with." He took a deep breath. "I love this place so much, I hate to see it go. Computer, end program." Everything faded to reveal the Security Training Room.

Camila sighed and looked around. "Back to reality. Thanks for showing me your program, Terry. Any time you want more SAR training, let me know. I'll be more devious next time, though, so be warned."

"You're welcome, Camila. And thanks for sharing your program with me," he said. "I will consider myself warned. Expect more deviousness at the next SAR training session. And there will be a next one, you can count on that."

She laughed. "Go get something to eat and some wine, Terry," she said. "I'm probably going to head back to my quarters and get some rest."

"You got it, Chief." He laughed. "Food and wine...two of my favorite things." He gestured towards the doors. "After you."

Camila smiled and headed out. "I'm looking forward to next time," she said. "Have a good evening, Terry."

"As am I. You have a good evening, too, Camila." Terry turned in the opposite direction to head back to his quarters. The training had been good. He had learned several lessons during it. But the best lessons he had learned wasn't in the training, it was in the talking.

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