"Captain's yacht to Ronin, we are ready to separate."
[This is Ronin, Separation cleared]
Ryan tapped the commands into the console and the separation sequence began. The sounds of clamps being disengaged could be heard outside the small vessel. As the yacht fell free of the Ronin's primary hull, the blast shield on the forward window slid back to reveal space and the nebula before them.
[Ronin to yacht, Separation sequence is complete. Captain, have fun]
"Will do, yacht out." Ryan turned to Karissa and smiled. "Here we go" he said.
She took a breath in. The nebula in front of them was beautiful. "I can't wait to get there," she smiled. She still had unpleasant thoughts running through her head that she didn't want to deal with, but she was determined to have a wonderful time, and pushed them away.
Ryan tapped the commands into the computer and the yacht went into warp in the direction of the planet. "I'll be back in a sec, hun," Ryan said as he left the cockpit and entered the rear compartment. He just wanted to double check everything was aboard. Food.. clothes... Karissa's medicine.. his little surprise for later... All was there, and he returned to the cock pit.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
"Just fine," he said, returning to his seat. He was eager to get there. "Only two hours to go" he said with enthusiasm and a smile. He couldn't help but think about his surprise, but hoped that Karissa wouldn't happen to pick up on anything he was thinking.
"Two hours, huh?" she said, "What should we do to pass the time?"
"A game of I-Spy?" suggested Ryan jokingly.
Karissa laughed. "We could do that," she replied, "Only, I don't think we have anything out there that will really challenge us . . . We could always sing some Klingon songs!" She laughed again, her dark eyes sparkling.
"Klingon songs? Well, I don't know about you, but a few Welsh songs may rest better with me. Somehow though, I don't think singing songs is really what either of us want," he said with a wink
She nibbled her lower lip as she looked at him with her soft smile. "Something tells me you're right," she replied.
"Here?" he asked, but had no time to react as Karissa pounced on him.
Ryan pulled himself up as he heard a bleeping coming from the computer console.
"We've arrived at last" he said, as he helped Karissa up. The window
was now filled with the view of a lush green and blue planet.
"If it's this beautiful from here, I can't wait to see what it looks like from down there," she replied gazing at the world before them.
"Well, let's not hang about," said Ryan as he pressed a button that began their descent. The two watched as the yacht descended through the cloud layer and below them was a vast green rainforest. Tall trees covered the land and a large river ran through the center. "So where do you want to go then? A beach? Somewhere scenic? Right here in the forest?"
She ran a quick scan and pointed out a position on the grid. "How about right there? A waterfall . . . then just a little ways away we have the beach! Best of both," she grinned.
"Sounds good to me." Ryan locked in the co-ordinates. The shuttle landed in a clearing atop the waterfall. The two got out and walked to the edge of the waterfall. Ryan put his arm around her as they gazed at the view before them.
Karissa was floored by the natural beauty before her. The waterfall was large, but not so strong that the water would pound a person under. The vegetation was a rich mixture of greens, and there were all colors of tropical blooms sprouting from everywhere. It was certainly better than the holodeck, she thought. She turned to him, meeting his dark gaze and caressed his face. "Thank you," she replied, with a softness in her presence that hadn't been there before. Tenderly, she kissed him.
"You know, we're the first Starfleet officers to set foot on this planet. Meaning we can name this place and everything in it what ever we like... As this is the most beautiful waterfall on the planet, I think I'll name it after the most beautiful woman in my life. How does Karissa falls sound to you?"
Tears misted her eyes as she was overwhelmed by the emotions coursing through her. "I think, that I am a very lucky woman . . ." she replied.
"Well, you're here, on the most beautiful planet ever found, with the galaxies greatest guy! What more could you ask for?!" he asked, as he kissed her.
As they let the kiss end, she caressed his face again. "I couldn't ask for more . . . " she replied. But suddenly, there was a twinkle in her eye. "Except maybe a swim under that waterfall!"
"Ohh damn... I forgot my swimming shorts..." said Ryan, shaking his head.
"Who needs swimming shorts or bathing suits," she replied, with a devilish grin. "We are the only ones here . . . right?" Quickly, she unzipped her tunic and let it fall to the ground.
Ryan looked her up and down *Whoahh!* "Err, uhh, well, I guess we should er.. *cough* head down to the bottom then?"
She giggled at Ryan's response to her. "Might be a good idea," she replied, picking up the tunic. "That water looks very inviting too . . . I can't wait to immerse myself in it!"
"It looks a bit cold to me," said Ryan uneasily. Karissa didn't know yet that Ryan couldn't swim.
She stopped and looked at him curiously. "Are you all right?" she asked. She sensed something was wrong, but wasn't going to pry.
"I'm fine," he said. "Race you to the bottom!" He then sprinting off.
With a soft laugh, she followed him. As they got closer to the bottom, she overtook him, and worked her clothes off as she went. As she neared the edge of the pool, she ran in until she was deep enough to dive. The water was cool against her skin.
She allowed herself to go as deeply as she could before surfacing. She was in the middle of the pool with the waterfall crashing behind her. She wiped the water from her eyes and looked around. She saw Ryan watching her from the edge. She smiled and waved before diving back under for a moment.
*Well, I gotta learn sometime,* he said to himself as he got undressed. He waded in toward the center of the pool. The water was extremely cold to him and he felt his chest tightening up as he went further in. Eventually though, he got used to it.
As she surfaced again, she noticed that Ryan was in the water. Swiftly, she swam to him, taking one of his hands. "This is so fantastic!" she said, with a sigh. "I think I could just swim around in here for hours!" she laughed. For having feline DNA she was very fond of water. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she remembered that Tigers like water . . . and shuddered slightly. Quickly, she turned her thoughts back to where she was and who she was with.
*I couldn't swim round in here for hours* he thought. As he was led further out into the lake, all the time, the sound of the waterfall crashed behind them.
"Are you sure you're all right?" she asked again, as she sensed his apprehension. She floated into his arms as she continued to meet his gaze with a bit of concern.
"I'm fine," he reassured her.
She wasn't buying it and thought about it. As the pieces fell into place, she realized what was wrong. It hadn't dawned on her before only because she had always been an avid swimmer, since the time she had been an infant. "I'll tell you what," she smiled, "I'm going to go under the waterfall for a minute . . . If you want to meet me back on the shore, that's okay . . . I'll only be minute anyway . . . I just want to stand under a real waterfall for once," she smiled.
"You sure? I mean, I could come with you if you want?"
"You don't have to," she replied, "Its just something I've always wanted to do . . ."
"Well, ok then... I'll head back to the shore and wait . . ." he said, with a hint of embarrassment in his voice.
Instantly, she reach for him and kissed him. "I love you . . ." she smiled. "I can't say that often enough, you know . . ."
"I love you too," he said. As Karissa swiftly swam toward the waterfall, he waded back to the shore. *Dammit! Why did I never learn to swim?* He sat down on a rock. *She must think I'm a wuss!*
Karissa climbed the rocks under the fall, and stood, allowing the water to rush over her. She heard the roar of the falls. As she closed her eyes, to allow herself to feel her surrounds. She felt the water and heard it. But suddenly, with her eyes shut and nothing but the sound of water around her, she became very disoriented and the world felt like it was starting to spin. She tried to move away from the water and out of the falls, only she wasn't sure if she was moving toward the pool or the rock ledge. Suddenly, as everything began turning gray, her foot slipped on the rocks. The last thing she felt was herself falling.
*She's taking a long time* thought Ryan as he sat on the rocks waiting. "Kari!!" he shouted, "KARI!!" He didn't get an answer. *Something must have happened to her* Ryan got up and ran round the side of the pool as far as he could get to the waterfall without stepping into the water. "KARI!!" he shouted again. *Damn! Here goes nothing!* Ryan took a deep breath and jumped into the pool. When he managed to surface, he looked around and saw her floating face down in the water. He doggy paddled up to her and pulled her face out of the water. "Kari? Kari?" she didn't respond. He struggled and pulled her to the side of the pool where he pulled her up onto the ground.
Quickly, he checked her pulse. She still had one though it was thready. But she wasn't breathing. Making sure that her airway was clear, he gently tilted her head back and pinched her nose closed. He took a breath and covered her mouth with his. Gently he blew his breath into her. He watched as her chest rose and fell. But it didn't start on its own. He repeated the process again and then again. *Come on, Kari!* he thought. Suddenly, with another series of breaths, he felt a response. Suddenly, she gagged. He helped her turn to the side as she expelled water from her lungs. As she started breathing again, she started crying with the shock.
"What on Earth happened to you?" Ryan asked with concern.
She was badly shaken. "I don't know . . . I got light headed . . . everything started turning gray . . . I just remember falling, but not landing . . . I guess I passed out . . . That's never happened before . . . What about the babies?" she asked with concern.
She knew enough to know if she had been deprived oxygen, then so had they.
"I don't know. There's no way to tell. We'll have to go back to the yacht. Can you manage?"
Still shaking, she nodded.
Ryan helped her up and back to the yacht. She sat on a chair as he fetched a tri-corder and scanned her. "They're both fine," he said with a sigh of relief.
Karissa let out the breath she had been unconsciously holding as she dropped further back into the seat, as if ready to vanish into it. "Thank, God . . . " she whispered, still troubled.
Ryan leaned back in the other chair and let out a sigh of relief. "Let's try and avoid swimming again if we can," he suggested lightheartedly
She nodded. "Or at least sticking
to the shallow end," she replied with a sad smile. Perhaps there were more
limitation for her now, than she had first realized. She'd have to have a long
talk with Ciara when they returned.