Colonial Planning - Part I
Posted on Tue Jul 8, 2025 @ 5:34am by Commodore T'mpest Michaels & Civilian Geral Lasuma
1,760 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Time After Time
Location: Captain's Ready Room & Lasuma's Yacht
Timeline: MD15 - Late Afternoon
By the evening of her visit to Pangaea with Lasuma, rumors were already beginning to spread. Now, two days later, they were getting...interesting. So far, she heard that Lasuma made a pass at her and she tried to drown him, she made a pass at him while they were flying over the lake and it caused the shuttle to crash, they had both been the target of a Cardassian assassination attempt and had to dive into the lake to save themselves, they were having an affair and forgot to take their clothes off, and they tried to enter one of the forbidden areas of Pangaea and were catapulted into the lake.
Every time T'mpest walked through the promenade, she heard people whispering. Occasionally, she'd smile and wave at the whisperers just to watch their reaction.
But she couldn't--or didn't want to--avoid Lasuma. And she did have some designs for possible cabins and a trading post she wanted to show him. So, she sent him a message and asked when he would be free to meet with her.
Lasuma had retreated to the quiet and solitude of his yacht's office to get away from the nonsense. It’s not that it bothered him he just found it annoying and inconvenient. Having to quell the various rumors while at the same time being discreet about what had actually happened. His employees where easy enough to handle but everyone else was well...repetitive enough to where he needed a break.
Tapping the console when it chimed with the incoming message he smiled as he read it and after he stepped into his restroom to freshen up, he replied.
As he waited for a reply, he readied a joke for her arrival. Setting it on his desk.
She chuckled as she read his message. Did she have a preference? Yes, but she also wasn't sure it would help any. "I will leave the time and method of arrival to you. At this point, I do not think it will matter." Part of her wanted to change out of her uniform, but that would also be telling. However, if they were going back to the planet to finish the tour, she might be more comfortable in a pair of jeans and a blouse. She rubbed her temples, then sent the message. She was definitely overthinking.
He kept his reply short and sweet:
His response made her laugh. "Well then, it is a good thing I am done for the day."
He had half expected her to materialize but instead another message came in. He replied with anticipation:
She took a few minutes to tell Millie she was off for the night, log out of her computer, change into a pair of slim-fitting black jeans and a plum blouse, run a comb through her hair, and then activate the site-to-site transporter. She decided not to add to the rumors tonight.
Smiling at the sound and light from the transport effects he sent a message to the yacht's crew that he would need dinner for two. As she materialized he was coming off the edge of his desk he took a couple of steps in her direction to greet her. "Welcome aboard...again."
"Thank you. Again." For a moment she just stood there, smiling back then she moved toward him. Then she noticed the towel on his desk and started to laugh.
Look back behind him chuckling as he picked it up. "Well, the map I have it holographic, but I wanted to be ready for anything."
She raised an eyebrow. "Anything?"
All he could do was laugh. Shrugging, "Well there's no lakes in the area, but ya never know. So, you had the same cabin idea? Oh, can I get you anything to drink?"
"Yes. I have a preliminary diagram of cabins and a trading post to discuss. As for a drink...wine would be nice." Then she remembered an old earth book from the 20th century. With a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, she added, "I did read once that it was preferable to travel with a towel in case you need to hitchhike."
"Ahhh, yes. But if you want to wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat we can check out the pool. After dinner? I promise, the water is much warmer than a mountain lake."
She raised an eyebrow at the mention of hand-to-hand combat with a wet towel. "That could be...interesting. I find myself curious to see your technique."
Tilting his head to the side slightly, "Which techniques are you interested in?"
"What sort of hand-to-hand you prefer in the water, of course," she replied blandly. "That, and what you do with a wet towel. I admit I do not generally engage in water warfare."
He was humorously shocked and he played on that. "Seriously? You've never snapped a towel? I have to admit that I am a towel snapping expert. Over the years many an opponent has fallen to my towel snapping skills."
"I must admit, I have not. Both my parents would be appalled--for different reasons." She couldn't help smiling at the image of her parents snapping towels at each other.
"Well then a class is definitely in order. We can't have the station's commanding officer being defenseless, should the situation arise. But let me show you what I worked up."
Tapping a pad on his desk the surface transformed to a holographic representation of the lake and he zoomed it in to the corner of the lake they had discussed. With another tap, an overlay of a proposed cabin locations appeared at the side of the cove. "Now of course this is just a rough plan. The number, size, and how dispersed each is completely fluid."
T'mpest nodded slowly as she looked at the layout. "Yes. It looks small enough to be manageable and will allow for a small number of people at a time." She smiled at Lasuma. "Have you looked at cabin designs?"
"Several. There is a multi-plex design that can be configured into 8 single bedroom, 4 multi-room, or 2 multi-level, multi-room units, or combinations thereof; all with balcony/porch options. Obviously the multi-room options would be good for families. There are also other separate units, some single or multiple room options. Some have fireplaces some don't. The exterior options are just as varied, form contemporary to as old school log cabin look. We could also spread the overall footprint out to give people more privacy."
She nodded again. "I like it. I want to talk this over with Cara and Alyssa. I think right now the main thing is to decide what type--or types--of cabins we go with. Do we want it to have a uniform look, with different size cabins, or pick several styles and mix them up. I like what you have, and I also like A-frame cabins. Those could possibly be a little farther from the lake. But, more to consider."
She regarded him for a minute. "I want to keep this separate from the trading post. What do you think?"
He couldn't help but smile. "I couldn't agree more. We can place the reception office on the edge of the grounds, on the approach to the site would be best. Appearance wise I think the facade should be the same just for uniformity but style and especially size should be mixed up. Perhaps the larger family units in the middle to prevent little ones from wandering off unseen."
"Yes. I would like the A-frames to be farther out for those who want to be closer to nature. I also would like a trading post for the science compound and the Marine base. One with shops and a center for occasional concerts and dances. A gathering place for social activities. This would be separate from the lakeside development." She tapped her PADD to show him what she was thinking.
"Oh yeah the store or entertainment options for the base and the research center is a whole other project, one that sort of got set to the side didn't it. How about a meeting tomorrow with Colonel Means and Lt. Wells so they can ensure the needs of their respective groups are addressed?"
"Yes. That will give you time to look this over and come up with alternatives."
"Perfect." Tapping the pad again the hologram vanished and he rose coming around to her side of the desk offering her his hand. "We still have some time until dinner...how about that towel lesson?"
Chuckling, she took his hand. "Yes. I may need to defend myself at some point."
It was a short trip from his office to the yacht's pool area. There was a table off to the side with several plush towels and Lasuma gestured to a door off to the side. "In the changing room there is a clothing replicator with a wide selection of swim wear. I'm sure you will find something you'll like."
She looked around and nodded. "Very good. See you in a few minutes." She went into the changing room and selected a simple dark blue swimsuit with a low back. Once she'd carefully stowed away her clothes, she went out to select a towel.
Having planned ahead and worn a swim suit under his clothing, his things were draped across a lounger and was already in the pool. He looked in her direction as he moved slowly backwards through the water, watching as she approached the edge. Thinking to himself, ~Simple, but vet nice~.
Spotting Lasuma, she made a shallow dive and swam over to him and began treading water.
He held his position as she surfaced and closed the distance between them. With them both treading water and the amount of water in her hair there was no lock to tuck away as yet anyway. "At least you didn't slip."
(To be continued...)
Commodore T'mpest Michaels
Commander
Deep Space 5
Geral Lasuma
Owner - Lasuma Enterprises
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