The View From the Other Side (Part One)

Posted on Wed Oct 28th, 2009 @ 11:13pm by Lieutenant JG Drew O'Connell

1,260 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Shoreleave - Welcoming Old Friends and New
Location: O'Connell Quarters
Timeline: Current

Ian leaned back on the couch, dropping the PaDD he'd been reading, and looked around the room. Their small, two-room quarters were about all he'd seen of the ship. He'd grown tired of it and he missed the freedom of stepping out the door and into sunshine. Already he longed to be back in Aruba...even Ireland. He sighed deeply before standing and stretching. He'd had enough homework already and since Drew had disappeared into his work, Ian figured no one would notice if he wasn't doing the work anyway.

"Computer, what level is the arboretum on?" he asked. Considering the best place to recreate the outdoor feel, aside from the holodecks, Ian chose the locale over the falsehood of holography.

=^= The arboretum is located one deck four, section twelve. =^= the cool female voice answered.

Gathering up the PaDD he had deposited on the couch, Ian set out in the direction of the open space.

=^= Arboretum =^=

Ian entered the open air space on Deck four only to find it unimaginably bigger the he expected. Two decks tall and the width of the entire deck, the arboretum was more of a park than any other space on the ship. Tall trees had been transplanted in the fertile soil and green grass grew abundantly. Somehow, a fresh breeze blew through the park, lending a realistic air to the place as an outdoor area. Of course, the pressing void of space beyond the glass windows was a constant reminder of where they actually were.

Winding his way down a pebbled path which ran beside a small stream, Ian found a bench behind a series of tall bushes, secluded and quiet. He sat down and thumbed the PaDD back to life. If he was forced to study, he would, at least, do it in a fashion he preferred. Being stuck in that stodgy room was no longer an option with spaces like this. Spaces he had yet to explore because of the unpleasantness of the previous mission.
He'd just finished the next chapter in his novel when a shout sounded behind him.

"Head's up."

A round, glowing ion ball whizzed past his head, missing it by inches, and landed on the grass with a thud. The quick withering of the grass indicated that this was not just any ball, but one that was used to play the game Parrises Squares and which shouldn't be handled without proper equipment. Ian dropped his PaDD onto the bench and stood guard over the device until its owner found and claimed it.

Rounding the corner in a hurry and bursting into the secluded spot, a frazzled young man appeared. He couldn't have been much older than Ian and the worry on his face was evident. Looking at the ball and then at Ian, standing with his arms crossed over the offending device, the young man took on an apologetic look.

"Sorry. Didn't hit you, did we?" he asked.

"If you had, half my face would be a bubbling mass of burnt flesh. That thing just whizzed past my head. Any closer and I would have felt the heat from it." Ian tried to sound angry but wasn't really. He was more curious and hoped he'd get to get into the game.

"Well, it wasn't and you're fine. Stand back," the man told him, placing his ion mallet over the ball to attract it. The ball jumped from the deck, now a mess charred down to the soil.

The older boy turned his back and started off. Then as if remembering something, he turned back to Ian. "You ever play Parrises?" he asked, looking over the potential player.

Ian smiled, his blue eyes twinkling with excitement. "Once or twice," he lied. In fact, Ian had played Parrises squares often before leaving Earth. His grandfather had been blissfully ignorant of the risks involved in the dangerous game. Risk which Drew knew all too well from his days playing at the academy. Ian had been promptly banned from the sport when Drew took over his care. It had been another point of contention between them.
"I'm down a player and you know as well as I that three on four is just bad odds. Any chance you'd suit up and play with us?"

Ian beamed. He knew Drew would berate him for it later, but he didn't care. He had not only engaged another member of this crew around his own age, he had also gotten into a game he loved to play. "Let me grab some gear and I'll meet you there," Ian replied casually, attempting to hide his excitement.
Minutes later, Ian emerged from a nearby bathroom outfitted with the newest in gear for Parrises. He'd used up half his replicator rations for the month, but he could always visit the lounge or mess hall where he wouldn't need to use rations. The real trick would be hiding the equipment from Drew. Stepping around the little enclave he'd exited, Ian found the Parrises Squares court just a short distance beyond. Walking up to it, the ramps evident on either side, Ian could see the other seven players. Most of them were twice his age and appeared skeptical.

"Welcome to the challenge," the older boy announced. "I'm Markus. These other wierdos are Tolin, the Vulcan inquisitioner," Markus started to ramble off their names, only a few of which had nicknames after them. "Janelle, the Spanish Fly. Iridis is the Andorian. Maklek, Tommy, and Davis. The ones with nicknames fancy themselves professional level players. You are?"

"Ian." He chose leave his last name behind, a mark of being the younger brother of the Intel chief. A fact that would probably spook them on normal terms, but now they were going to play squares.

"He can not be over the age of fifteen, Markus," Tolin announced. "It is against our rules to allow one so young to compete in this sport."
"I'm sixteen," Ian replied defensively.

"You heard the boy," the Andorian spoke up, as much as they did. His raspy voice held a menacing tone. "Let him play, Tolin."

The Vulcan backed down, retreating to recover his equipment. Meanwhile, Markus pulled Ian aside, handing him a helmet. Not typical fare for Parrises Squares. "What is this?" Ian wondered aloud.

Markus smiled. "These guys play to win. They don't mind bashing a few skulls to do it either. Wear it." It wasn't a request, but an order. Ian looked into Markus' blue eyes and saw the hard truth there. Before he was able to say anything else, Markus spun him around and began fixing his padding and gear. As he did, he explained the rules, rules that Ian knew well. "Parrises Squares is a dangerous game. You know the ion ball is dangerous in itself, along with the ion mallets. They hold an electrical charge which attract each other but which can cause you severe bodily harm if they contact you separately. Climb the ramps and wait for the game start signal. As you run, you hit the other team's squares, making them lose their footing. When we hit their square it turns to our property. They can't stand on our property and are ejected from the game if they do. The goal stands on the other side of their court. First team to turn enough squares and reach the other side with the ion ball wins the game."

"Nothing special," Ian said as Markus finished adjusting his gear.

"Let's get to it then..." Markus turned and headed for the entrance ramps.

 

RSS Feed