LTJG Jocelyn Marshall & Ensign Emilia Krugol - Friends in a Rowing Boat

[Renos]

(( Migehn River, Thorain Mountains, Trill ))

 

::The vicious waves of the river crashed unendingly on the small boat. Emilia’s heart pounded as she struggled to paddle in the back, and steady the direction away from the rocky shores. A mix of excitement and anxiety brewed in Emilia’s chest, as the violent waves drenched the two officers with the fresh, lukewarm water of the river. Emilia’s grip was like iron on her paddle, iron that powered through the cold rust, clinging on for dear life in the midst of the overpowering waves of the river as it paddled. Despite everything however, she chuckled excitedly, the rush of adrenaline seeming to almost force a feeling of amusement and joy.::

 

::The warm echo of the sun bounced off the crystalline surface constantly, creating an abnormally bright glow as Emilia’s eyes focused forward despite the chaos. She wondered how Jo was feeling through the circumstances.::

 

Krugol: Are the waters always this rough?! ::Emilia spoke, raising her voice above the volume of the waves.::

 

::In the midst of fending off a splash of water to the face, Jo wiped her mouth on her shoulder and laughed, her stomach dropping out as the boat hit a bad patch of a dip between waves. She shouted forward over the noise.::

 

Marshall: So it said! Something about the temperature of the glaciers on the Northern Hemis- ::The boat rocked heavily, throwing out her words with the jolt.:: -phere and the friction between the narrow channel and the larger river south of us!

 

Krugol: I wonder if that makes things difficult for the locals here!

 

Marshall: They’ll be used to it by now, I’d imagine!

 

::The boat tipped to the side as the underside hit an incoming wave from a rock formation, both crew paddling fiercely to avoid capsizing against it and headed back into the river run. Another crew up ahead of them steered away from an eddy, dipping out of sight, the telltale sign of what was to come. Jo shouted forward again.::

 

Marshall: We’re hitting the Middle Fork! Drop coming up in three!

 

::Emilia’s heart pounded in excitement. Quickly, she braced herself, moving her legs to the edges of the kayak to stabilize her form a little more. The anticipation built up in her stomach like a rampantly breeding swarm of butterflies, fluttering every which way, creating the sickly feeling of excitement that rose to her throat.::

 

Krugol: Let’s do it!

 

::A strong undercurrent swept through beneath the small kayak, increasing the speed, forcing them towards the gully created by erosion in the rock below. Jo mentally counted down and braced herself for the oncoming onslaught of water as the front of the boat carrying Emilia angled down over the edge. Adrenaline in the riders spiked. The vital readout beeped to acknowledge it. A moment teetering on the edge where time seemed to hang, the view ahead of the canyon they were about to descend into. Then, they tipped over.::

 

Krugol: WOAH!!! ::Emilia’s gaze locked with bottom of the drop very briefly, the rush of adrenaline practically drowning her as she held on for dear life to the Kayak.::

 

::They hit the bottom of the drop with a clear splash, sinking for a matter of a second before bobbing back up amidst waves and the twisting churn of whitewater.::

 

::Jo shook her head, spraying water everywhere, accompanied by a loud and happy laugh.::

 

Marshall: That was BRILLIANT!

 

::Replicating Jo’s motions. Emilia laughed uncontrollably. Exhausting every breath she’d clung to during the descent. The water came up to Emilia’s neck as she tread the water around her, managing to keep herself afloat amongst the much calmer waters. Her feet kicking from under her almost constantly, fighting to keep her afloat.::

 

Krugol: That. Was. AMAZING!! We definitely have to do this again when we get the chance!

 

::Jo ran her hand up shifting the water from her face and up into her now drenched hair. Their kayak bobbed on the surface of the wide river a couple of feet away and she made a grab for it before it got any further. Treading water, she tried to touch the bottom with bare feet and could barely reach it.::

 

Marshall: Definitely! ::She grinned widely, pushing the kayak over to her friend.:: Grab that. We'll drag it to shore.

 

Krugol: I wonder if we’ll have a chance to do this next shore leave.

 

::Emilia wiped her face with a free hand, clearing her vision clouded by the water in her eyes. She sniffled somewhat, swimming herself over to the capsized kayak in attempt to swim it closer to the bank.::

 

Marshall: I hope so! M-Class planets have always got something crazy to jump off of. Or out of.

 

::They shifted the sprightly buoyant but capsized kayak over to the riverbank. Planting her hands, Jo hauled herself out of the water onto the grass feeling twice as heavy, then held her hand out for Emilia.::

 

Krugol: Thanks. ::Emilia took Jo’s hand gratefully. The water-filled wetsuit, spilling water onto the hard bank of the river. Her body felt tired and heavy. Nevertheless, Emilia pushed through, driven purely by the leftover adrenaline in her system.:: I wonder how many people we can talk into doing so. You never know, there may be a few equally crazy people on board. I know a certain, equally insane flyboy that may or may not enjoy a couple of jumps.

 

::Jo laughed, pulling the kayak out of the water with the Trill’s help, settling it on its side and pitching out whatever water it had decided to take on in the fall when it kicked them out. She stretched her arms behind her back and shook her head of water clinging to her ears, then grinned at the woman.::

 

Marshall: Our crew isn't short of maniacs and adrenaline junkies. Next shore leave, we'll find somewhere, if we're on-world, and lure them in with promises of a barbeque for the first one over the edge. ::However, her grin tinged with mischief.:: I'll bet you a weeks worth of rotation cargo checks that you can't get the Admiral to do this.

 

Krugol: ::Emilia chuckled loudly.:: That’s possibly the most devious thing I’ve heard from you Jo, I like it. As for the admiral… ::Emilia snapped her fingers competitively.::  You’re on. Even if i lose, shouldn’t be too much to handle. But that’s a big if.

 

::Emilia stretched her arms, following it closely with a yawn. The adrenaline slowly seemed to die down. She began to shake out each of her limbs individually. The sudden cold breeze causing a brief shiver against the drenched wetsuit. Emilia wondered what kind of barbeque was going to be prepared. Images, and flavours of pork belly and well done steaks invaded her mind.::

 

::It was a big if; Jo was already starting to plan what music she'd have blaring in the cargo hold. She moved her neck to the side, feeling it crunch from the exertion of the ride down the rapids, and the cold starting to invade her otherwise temperature resistant wetsuit. Now came the glorious task of hauling their kayak back up to their starting point. Grabbing one end of it, she patted Emilia on the shoulder with the casual familiarity of two friends having braved an adrenaline-filled danger and come through still alive.::

 

Marshall: Thanks for coming, this was a lot of fun.

 

Krugol: You’re welcome! It was a very eventful ride to say the least. ::She returned the casual pat with a bright smile, and a thumbs up to the fellow gold shirt. Emilia felt comfortable in Jo’s presence, no nagging thoughts telling her to do this or that, or even anything making her nervous enough to stutter.::

 

::Emilia, following Jo’s lead, shifted the weight of the kayak onto her shoulder, the weight somewhat encumbering her. With Jo’s help however, Emilia was able to easily share the burden on her shoulder. She let out a sharp breath as she began to march forward. Her legs, jolting excitedly with each spring in her step.::

 

::The climb was going to be a long one, nonetheless it was worth it just for the views of the canyon they'd splashed into. Kayak safely secured, ready for the haul, Jo grinned at her fellow trudger, squinting under the midday sun.::

 

Marshall: Best foot forward. Beers on me when we get back up there.

 

Krugol: It’ll be a cider for me until I can work on my lightweightness ::Emilia threw a chuckle Jo’s way, glancing up at the long walk. But who better to walk with, than a fellow friend.::

 

_________________________

 

Ensign Emilia Krugol

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USS Gorkon

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Security/Tactical officer

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G239409EK0

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&

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Lieutenant JG Jocelyn Marshall

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Operations Officer

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USS Gorkon

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G239304JM0

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