"It's the Ocean!" Part 5: A Rock, A Flower, A Moment (Backpost)

Posted on Mon Sep 22nd, 2025 @ 8:04pm by Lieutenant Commander Alexander Espersen & Petty Officer 3rd Class Fulvia Benvenuto

Mission: Lower Decks
Location: Unnamed Class O Planet

[Island a short distance from the clothing optional beach]


It was a good swim. Their muscles worked, and by the end burned. The waves pushed them this way and that, often stinging their eyes and clearing their sinuses. Still, the extra salt really made them buoyant, like floating in the Dead Sea. They wouldn’t drown, but it was a hell of a workout.

When they reached their destination thirty minutes later, Alex pulled himself up onto a big flat rock and then helped Fulvia up – she looked like she’d just swum the Cresmyx Strait, her arms sagging like a street fighter that downed her last opponent, running on fumes.

It was exactly as Fulvia had described it. Small, no more than a hundred meters on its longest side. They stood on the jagged surface of a rock pockmarked by rain on its top and smoothed around the edges, one of many which seemed to surround the island’s perimeter, all of which were mostly dry save for some splash marks and their wet footprints. The leaves of a few trees in the centre fluttered in the wind. Sea salt hung in the air: crisp, clear and refreshing, just as the swim had been.

“I’m impressed, Miss Benvenuto,” Alex said, panting to catch his breath as he lay on his back.

“Heh. I’m stronger than I look, Bossman,” she replied, lying next to him, working a little harder to recover from the exertion.

They let the sun work its magic, keeping them warm and comfortable despite the hard surface. For Alex, it was…peaceful. There were no voices laughing or talking or otherwise distracting. No obligations of command. Just the warm sun on his skin, the waves against the rocks, the breeze in the trees, and his and Fulvia’s breathing. The whole point of this trip was to drop rank, drop responsibility, and have a bit of fun. Mission accomplished.

After a few minutes, Fulvia stood up and helped her boss to his feet. “C’mon let’s look around. Y’know, we might be the only sentients to ever visit this island. Past, present, maybe future too. Somethin’ satisfyin’ about that.”

“Where no one has gone before, or maybe again,” Alex said as he followed her toward the island’s middle. The rocks around the edges apparently prevented soil and dirt in the middle from eroding, permitting a handful of trees to take root. “Fascinating,” he said, as they watched the wind blow through the leaves, little drops of fresh water condensing on their surfaces and dropping into the soil.

“Seein’ this has got me thirsty,” Fulvia said. “Don’t suppose you see anything we can drink?”

“I have you,” he said. He gently tapped the subdermal commbadge he’d had inserted close to his ear. “Espersen to Chimera Computer. Replicate two bottles of water, two degrees Celsius, and beam them to my location.”

Seconds later, two water bottles appeared on the ground in front of them. “Hey, good work, Bossman.” She picked them both up and passed him one. “Cheers.” She opened hers and took a swig. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing to something red.

They walked further into the island and saw what turned out to be a lovely flower with crimson petals that opened around a very sweet smelling yellow centre.

“Our scans showed no animals,” Alex observed. “So no pollinators. Strange that something like this would evolve.”

“One of this world’s great mysteries, I guess,” Fulvia replied. She leaned in close and put her nose right to the centre and took a deep breath in. The sweet smell brought a warm smile to her face. “Ahh. This takes me home, Bossman. The Old Man gave Ma a bouquet that looked and smelled exactly like these. She loved ‘em. Said they reminded her of – Hey, what are you doin’?”

Alex reached forward and plucked the flower stem from where it came off the branch. “A gift for someone,” he said. He could already see the sketch in his head. Maybe also…the perfect way to say thank you.

“Didn’t peg you for the sentimental type,” she said in a teasing tone.

He ignored the quip and took another deep drink from his water bottle, leaving two centimetres in the bottom, and put the flower inside. He set the water bottle back down in the dirt.

Fulvia downed most of her water and then, a twinkle in her eye, poured the rest down Alex’s neck and back, prompting him to squeal and then laugh. “It’s what you get for that ice cube you tossed at Cally!” she said, laughing.

“Fair enough,” he said as his own laughter subsided. He took Fulvia’s empty bottle and set it next to his own. Tapping his ear-commbadge again, he said “Espersen to Chimera Computer. Lock on to the objects in front of me and beam them to my quarters.”

And with that, the bottles – and the flower – were beamed away, leaving no trace that they had been on the island.

Silence. The silence of two people experiencing a moment of peace on this stretch of land a kilometre away from their nearest friends and colleagues. In truth a moment they might never have again as they returned to work, though as Fulvia looked at her superior officer, deep down she knew that something had changed. Neither had made a friend, not at all, but…this little moment would leave its indelible mark on both.

“Fulvia.” Alex faced the young woman and looked her in the eye. “Thanks.”

“For what?” she asked.

“Just…for being here. For doing this.”

Fulvia smirked. “People are gonna think we’re friends now, Big E. Honestly my rep might take less of a hit if they thought we came here so I could spit-shine your woodwork.”

Alex’s brow furrowed and he cocked his head to the side. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You know…if they thought I helped you reach warp speed, the old fashioned way.“

He continued staring at her, raising an eyebrow.

“If they thought I helped you discharge excess warp plasma, with my mouth.”

He shook his head. “No idea what you mean.”

Fulvia squinted as she studied him and then smirked. “If I…wait, are you playin’ me, Mister E?”

Alex’s lips curled into a smile and he started laughing.

She smacked his arm. “Don’t play a player, Bossman.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “Fine. I won’t say anything. But still, thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” she said with a wry smile. “Don’t get used to this, Mister E.”

“Come on, Fulvia,” he said, gesturing back toward the rock where they pulled themselves to the island. “Let’s head back. Before rumours start.”

“Heh. Yeah. If we take too long, Erika’ll start writing fanfic.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah. She ships me and Kally more than anything, but I wouldn’t put it past her to write a scene where I’m…”

“Spit-shining my woodwork?”

“Heh. Yeah you get it.”

“Well then. Learn something new every day,” he said before diving back into the sea, Fulvia close behind. They left the island behind, but carried the moment with them, preserved forever in their memory like a pressed flower.

Theirs alone.


To be continued...