tonight the stars speak (kartik)

[jayanti]

When she wasn't on duty fixing whatever was currently broken on the Enterprise, Petty Officer Williams often found herself drawn to the holodeck. Some people headed for the lounge or bar, but seeing as how she was neither a commissioned officer nor 21, her options were limited. There were times when she headed to the gymnasium to work out, either by practicing her hand to hand combat, running, lifting weights, or whatever else was currently available. It was certainly the more sociable option. However, there were also times when she just wanted -- needed -- to be alone, at least for a little while. She needed an escape, and the holodeck provided just that. She could be wherever, and whenever, she wanted to be. She had sailed the high seas with eighteenth century sailors, walked through the slums of her hometown in the twentieth century, and even sparred with ancient oriental masters. But not tonight.

A pallid moon cast a pale light on the forest floor below, twinkling stars dotting the sky above. It was very still, the sort of night that poets write about. There was a stream nearby, and its trickling was one of the few audible sounds, accompanied by the chirping of crickets in the background. Jayanti sat at the bottom of a large oak tree near the water, hugging her knees to her chest. A content yet contemplative expression hung on her face as her brown eyes stared off into the distance. There wasn't really a single thing that she was thinking about, more of a multitude of thoughts were running through her head. Nothing too deep or profound; mainly little things that most people think about. One reoccurring theme though was her father.

It had been two years since Scout had last seen or heard from her father, or any of the men and women that she has spent ten years of her life with. After she decided to enlist in Starfleet, she had simply left without saying a word. They were pirates, after all. Generally frowned upon, not to mention illegal. She had to cut all connections to them if she wanted to succeed at all in the Federation. She believed she was successful, as for the past two years nothing had come up. If any of them knew where she was, they simply let her be. It wouldn't surprise her if that was the case. Trying to contact her would only raise further suspicion, so it was entirely probable that they knew exactly where she was and what she was doing.

The thought lingered in her mind for a little while longer until she heard something further down the riverbed. She glanced that way and spotted a young freckle faced boy clad in overalls and a straw cap. She grinned, recognizing him as Huck Finn, her literary hero when she was younger. Today, she had decided to enter herself into the world of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and his runaway slave compadre, Jim. The river she sat near was the Mississippi River. This wasn't the first time she had visited this particular scene in the holodeck. Huck Finn was the book her father read to her whenever he came home in Mumbai from his space adventures. As such, it had become her "happy place". Some people had beaches, she had this.

Scout couldn't remember how long she had been sitting there, but as she watched the boy down the river slowly disappear back into the woods, she started to get restless. She glanced around, more notably toward the general direction she knew the door to the holodeck to be. She knew someone could walk in and join her if they so wanted, and part of her really wanted them to. She wasn't motivated enough for social interaction to actually leave, though, as she found this particular environment peaceful. So she returned her attention to the river, allowing her thoughts to take over once again.

[kartikeya]

Kartik awoke sweating, his eyes wide in panic and his hand clamped firmly over his mouth. Not to stop his breathing, more to muffle screams that ached his throat and brought burning tears to his eyes. He hyperventilated into his hand for a few seconds in an effort to keep from screaming, his other hand fisting the blankets of his bed into a sweaty clump. After the few seconds were up, his trembling muscles began to slow down and his lingering feelings of panic subsided. For now, the dream was over. It would be back in perhaps a month or so, as was the custom (or so he was learning), but he had conquered it this time around. Slowly, he unclenched his hand and stretched the fingers, wiping at his eyes and turning his head left and right to check for crimps and cricks. As variations on this dream in particular went, it was pretty low-key. As always, he could not remember it, but it left feelings of deep rage and terror, emotions that the fun-loving ensign often did not permit himself to feel or show anywhere but in the privacy of his own room. He knew the dream had something to do with his family and the pirates that had conquered them, but for now the details escaped him, and he was forced to suffer a cold terror each time the dream chose to make an appearance.

Kartik rose from the bed and padded, shirtless, around his room. His hair curled wildly, droplets of sweat flicking from the tips as he shook his head back and forth. He tried, fruitlessly, to recall any details from the dream, and was rewarded with a sharp pang in his head as though a violent headache was starting. Frustrated, he slammed his hand into the wall and glared out to the pinpointing stars on the other side of his window. He stared at them for some time, his mind wandering aimlessly, hoping for a random image to drift across so he might make a grab at it. But none came - and Kartik finally accepted the idea that he would not remember anything tonight, either.

Now more awake than asleep from the pacing, he threw on a shirt over his pajama bottoms and strolled lazily out into the hallway. Part of him hoped to run into Commander Spock or Commander Scott, (wouldn't he be shouted at for being out of uniform, even off-duty...it would be hilarious!), but by the time he wound up outside the holodeck he was quite thankful he hadn't been stopped. He hadn't really even paid attention to where he was going, and so winding up outside the holodeck it occurred to him that he was still subconsciously trying to get a memory out of himself - a memory he could possibly obtain by recreating the day he learned his family was gone.

Unfortunately, the holodeck was in use. As the door swished open and the sounds of night drifted out, Kartik slipped silently into a world out of Mark Twain's own imagination. He knew the place immediately: Huckleberry Finn had been a school reading text, and the adventurous little boy had held Kartik's rapt attention. He could see Huck paddling away down the stream, Jim settled peacefully in the boat as the moon beamed silver light upon them. The crickets sang and Kartik found he could almost smell the water and the fauna growing around him. Holodecks were a true gift of mankind.

An old oak tree nearby revealed a small surprise: he was not alone. Well of course, if the holodeck was in use, someone would also be in here, peacefully watching the little scene. Smiling slightly, Kartik headed in their direction. Someone else who couldn't sleep, then. He thought he recognized the bent form under the tree, but decided to let them reveal themselves first.

"Huck Finn," he said, his Indian accent musically twining with his New York accent. His voice sometimes made people laugh - a combination of South India and New York City. Some girls had called it musical and fun. Others had called it annoying. He didn't really care - it was his voice. "It's a good book."

[jayanti]

Jayanti had lost track of time since she had been in the holodeck, and though it hadn't felt that long, it wouldn't have been the first time that she and accidentally spent a solid few hours when she planned to only be a few minutes. Though quite honestly, she didn't know what else she'd be doing. Sleeping, probably, but she wasn't very tired. She hadn't bothered to bring a watch or any other time telling device with her. She had never been fond of them, anyway. It wasn't seeded in a deep rooted hatred of technology or anything. Rather, she didn't want to depend on time. It seemed like people were always on a schedule these days, rushing from one thing to the next and trying to get everything on their list done in a timely fashion. Wake up at eight, go to work at nine, eat lunch at noon, go back to work an hour or so later etc etc etc. And if anything threw them off, they'd be screwed. Scout preferred to live by events, not time. Of course, in the working world, that wasn't always an option.

Growing up, this sentiment had been shared by her mother. The focused on relationships and people rather than time and schedules. Her mother had called it "a privilege of the poor", one of the few things they could afford that many wealthier families could not. A smile crossed the girl's features as she fondly remembered her caring mother. She was one of the most generous people Jayanti had ever known, even when she had very little to give. She remembered one instance when a construction crew had been working a few blocks away, her mother decided to cook them lunch. All of them. After all, they were working hard and deserved a little kindness, just like everybody else. Her mother had used up much of what was in their cupboards and drawers, but the workers were fed. You don't find many people like that... she thought.

Not wanting her mind to linger on sad thoughts, Jayanti attempted to think of something else. However, a distraction was soon provided. She jumped slightly at the sudden voice of someone else. She set one hand on the forest ground and turned to see who it was. Her eyes settled on a familiar face; she had probably seen him around here and there on the ship before. However, she was at a loss for the name. Being the sort that remembered names easily, she figured they had yet to be introduced. "One my favorites." she replied with a smile. "Most people prefer the modern releases, but I'm more fond of the classics."

She regarded the boy before her, unsure of his rank since he was out of uniform. As such, she wouldn't be able to tell if he was her superior or not, but she decided to take a guess that he was. After all, most people were when you were an enlisted crew member, and even on the lower end of that. She stood and extended a hand, deciding on a more casual introduction. He seemed relaxed, anyway, and not the sort that would get on her if she didn't salute. "Petty Officer Williams." she said, and then as an after thought added, "Or you can call me Scout. Most people do." Her accent, much like his, didn't exactly match her Indian features. Her's was prominently British, something she had picked up during her time with her father. She figured he probably already knew her rank, seeing as how she was still in uniform. She rarely went without it, never knowing when she'd be caught by a commanding officer.

[kartikeya]

The figure started and then rose with an elegant grace to it. As it moved towards him, emerging into the moonlight, Kartik recognized the soft Indian features and the bright, beautiful eyes. He'd often seen her floating about the ship from one task to another. Her focus seemed to be in engineering, and she spent a lot of time working with the easily-frustrated Commander Scott. Well - perhaps she didn't find him so easily frustrating. Around Kartik, the man always seemed rather angry or at least like he'd had a bad day. The fact that Kartik might have been out of uniform or sneaking tribbles from one compartment to another had nothing to do with it at all, (though he'd never found out what happened to his tribbles).

He was getting distracted, thinking about his furry little friends. The woman was holding out her hand to him and offering her name. Petty Officer Williams. Such a common British name for an Indian beauty. Then again, he had quite a common name himself. "Ensign Lawrence." He tried to attach a smile to his voice and it came out as a laugh. Their accents, so different, and their names so similar! There had to be some irony or some laughter in that! He took her hand, feeling it soft with feminine skin and tough with someone used to work, and shook it firmly. He didn't let go right away - not because he was trying to send a signal or anything just...his fingers didn't want to slip away from hers. But they did, and he continued to look at her, ignorant of what had just happened.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Petty Officer," he added. "A ship this size, you see people over and over but never really get to know them. It makes for a somewhat lonely social life." He found that an odd thing to say, but it was nonetheless true. A little uncomfortable with his words, he nodded in Huck's direction. "I am a fan of this book, but sometimes some of the classics strike me as boring. Wuthering Heights was one of the most depressing novels I ever had to read in school. Hundreds of pages of the same man and the same woman tearing each other apart? Foolish."

He looked around, smelling the flowers and the air. "This is a pleasant simulation, however." With a semi-cocky grin he joked: "Come here often?"

He found he wasn't quite sure how to react with her around, now that they knew each others' names. It was a disconcerting feeling. Plus, he was realizing that just because he'd seen her around and now he knew her name...there was something else there. Something deeper than Starfleet Academy or the Enterprise. The back of his mind worked away while he smiled at her, wondering if he was going to keep babbling or at least find a solid conversation topic.

[jayanti]

"Likewise, Ensign Lawrence.", she replied, inclining her head slightly. She too chuckled lightly at their contrasting accents. Although they shared Indian traits in their looks and first names, they both obviously had more to them than that. She wondered where he had grown up, what environment had caused him to not have the typical prominent Indian accent, but instead a mix of that and... American, was it? She believed so. She herself had adopted her father's European accent during her stay with him, forsaking that of her mother's that she had grown up for the first years of her life. She had wanted a change at the time, to not have anything remind her of her mother's death. Something new. Something different. Something that wouldn't let people connect her with her previous life but let her start over. Had he gone through something similar? She was itching to know, but knew it would be awkward if she started asking questions like that when they just met. Besides, it would probably invite him to do the same.

He commented on his social life, or lack there of, being aboard the Enterprise. He had a point; there were certainly times when she felt like she was lacking in the social life she once had. Well... the social life she had while at the Technical Academy. Before than, her friends consisted of thirty plus year old men and women who enjoyed pillaging, stealing, drinking, and the bohemian life. It certainly was quite the environment to grow up in. There were times when she almost missed it, believe it or not. Although it wasn't ideal for a young girl to grow up in, there was always something to do, always something to learn, and always something new. At the Tech Academy, it was a little odd adjusting to wholesome fun rather than cursing like a 21st century sailor and planning out the next planet and target. She enjoyed it, though. It was nice to have friends, firstly, her own age and, secondly, who had other hobbies to get her interested in.

Aboard the Enterprise, however, Scout had found it was different. It was work, even if she enjoyed it. Her off duty hours were spent socializing with the friends she had already made, either before being stationed here or after. Still, there was often a good chance that they were working while she was not, so she wandered the halls on her own, trying to get familiar with other people. It was hard, though. And for that reason, she had to nod in agreement with him. "Very true. I'm sure it'll get better over the course of the next five years, but right now it's almost enough to drive somebody insane."

She chuckled when he mentioned Wuthering Heights. She'd read it before, but not in school. Rather, it was among several leather bound and expensive editions of books stolen. Just another resource offered to her aboard the pirate ship. She had been unimpressed on her initial reading. Like he had said: she found the two obsessed and vengeful lovers rather foolish. But upon reading it again (she still wasn't sure what had possessed her to do so) when she was older, she got a little something out of it. The destructive force of an unrelenting and unending love. Such unchanging love was often played up as romantic, but she could definitely see truth behind Bronte's interpretation. Then there was the precariousness of social classes. Catherine wanted to marry Edgar to become the "greatest woman in the world". Appearances, social status, and reputations were all very important and seemed destructive. A good lesson for a budding pirate to learn.

"Yeah, it's certainly not in my top ten either." she agreed. "Still, there's usually something you can get out of any book, no matter how boring or soap opera-ish." When it came down to it, Scout knew she'd pick a more adventure packed or mystery novel over the dramatic ones, but they were still an interesting read now and then. Pride and Prejudice was certainly one of her favorites, despite being a romance novel.

"Oh, yes. All the time." she replied to his question, a grin playing on her lips. "Huck and I are like this" she crossed two of her fingers, "now. What about you? This your first time in 19th century Mississippi?"