In The Garden Of Eden

Posted on Mon Dec 31st, 2018 @ 12:22am by Chief Helmsman Eden Bowers & Captain Rueben Gregnol

Mission: Ishimura
Location: USS Ishimura
Timeline: 2243
1270 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Letting out a sigh of contentment, Eden settled herself down in a table in the mess hall with a variety of documents surrounding her. She could have done this in her quarters of course but she was mildly taking the advice that she should be a bit more sociable. It was the middle of the night and she wasn't likely to be interrupted but it was a public place so if someone wanted to enter, they certainly could.

Sebastian Deauvuex wondered in, in civilian work out clothes and stopped as he saw the helmswoman peering over paperwork. He expected this type of behaviour from the scientist but not from the flyers and drivers of the ship. He smiled filling up the water bottle before he started over to her. "Good Evening Ensign." He greeted.

Eden glanced up. "Captain!" She said rather loudly, attempting to stand she accidentally swept half the table off onto the floor and looked torn between picking it up or giving him her full attention. She bobbed for a second before giving up and standing at attention, leaving the pile scattered on the floor.

The man hadn’t had a reaction like that is quite a while and smiled gently. “Relax Ensign.” He said as he crouched to start to pick up the scattered paper worm. “Don’t see much paper around anymore. Is this anything important?” Sebastian wasn’t foolish he knew that his crew respected him but sometimes just talking to someone like a normal human being would be nice.

"Just a project I've been working on, well notes really. I prefer to write my thoughts down on paper, it helps the juices flow." Eden answered taking everything from him and placing it back on the table. "And this time of night very few people are around so I can spread out without bothering anyone." She hesitated, he hadn't asked what the notes were on and she didn't know if she should tell him.

The man indicated the seat opposite her and sat down grabbing his bottle from where he had left it to gather paper. “That is a very old-fashioned way of approaching things.” The man wondered thinking perhaps there was more to the woman they met the eye.

"Yeah, I'm odd like that sometimes." Eden admitting, sitting down again. "But having something in my hand that I can touch and feel the words, somehow it means more to me." She spread them out again leaving a little bit of space for him to put his bottle down. She glanced up, to see if she could tell from his expression what he thought of all this.

The man didn't think it was odd just old fashioned, this woman was starting to sound like she belonged in a fairy tale of old. "So what is all of this that it means so much?" He finally asked taking a couple of deep sips of his water to calm down from the gym and exercise he had just put his body through.

"Oh well, I'm a fan of mysteries." Eden couldn't help but blush a little bit at this. "So I write notes and get a hold of any information I can about things, unsolved mysteries of the human past. The Mary Celeste for example, or the death of a woman called The Black Dahlia."

"Meurtre mystérieux." The man said ignoring the blush on her cheek despite how adorable it was. He grabbed up a piece of paper and leant back in his chair looking it over in detail. "Pauline Picard was only two years old when she disappeared from her family’s farmhouse near the rocky end of Brittany in France in 1922. Volunteers scoured the countryside to no avail get two weeks later a toddler was found 250 miles away. Parents identified her as Pauline and brought her home."

Eden smiled, content to listen to what he was saying, forgetting all about her momentary embarrassment. It was as if he was speaking her native language and she instantly relaxed.

"But, oddly, the little girl did not seem to recognize her parents and respond when spoken to in Breton, the regional dialect spoken by the Picards at home. And there was no explanation of how a toddler had managed to travel 250 miles. Can you guess what happens next?" The Captain wondered enjoying the conversation.

"They find a body on the property wearing the clothes that the mother identified as Pauline's but no one can identify the child as the body is too badly decomposed? That reminds me of another case I read about in one of the southern states in what they used to call the United States of America. A family was camping along a river I think, Louisiana? Anyway, the woman's four year old son goes missing, they search everywhere and find nothing. Later a drifter is picked up with a child that matches the description of Bobby Dunbar. The parents identify the child as theirs, the drifter is sent to prison and no one learns the truth for decades until DNA testing comes into play and the members of the family still living find that he was not related to them at all. No one knows what happened to the real Bobby." Eden's eyes were positively glowing as she chattered away on the subject.

Sebastian bowed his head in acknowledgement that she was completely correct. He had always felt sad because the toddler that had been found was sent away, he always wondered what had happened to her. He didn't personally like mysteries, the scientist in him wanted to know everything but he didn't mind that she didn't. "It's a sad state of affairs mysteries. I'm not much of a fan of them being a Scientist." He said hinting at his past.

"Oh," Eden said, instantly deflating. "Yes, I'm sorry. My parents are scientists and I guess I think of it as research. Even if I don't find the answers, maybe someday someone will. I think it's extraordinary that humans need answers to things."

"Don't be silly." The man said seeing the deflate. "Just because I don't like mysteries doesn't mean I am not interested." He said picking up another piece of paper to look over.

Eden's eyes widened a little bit and she couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Isn't that a contradiction? You don't like mysteries but you find them interesting?" She gave him a small grin. "Maybe a mystery that's somewhat less tragic." She searched through her notes. "Here." Eden handed him a couple more pieces of paper. "The Voynich Manuscript. Could be some old persons laundry list or it could be the secrets of the universe. I just like to keep my mind open."

The man took the piece of paper and looked it over. He had never seen it before. "Isn't our whole mission a contradiction?" He offered with just a hint of a wink in his eyes. They were there to explore but to stay safe at the same time.

She seemed to think about it for a moment. "Maybe." She began to pile up the papers and when most of them were somewhat collected. "So what's your professional opinion Captain. Am I nuts?"

The Captain stood at her question and just smiled, it was a little lopsided and gave away none of his emotion. "Perhaps but you are the driver Ensign," He said simply as he turned and walked away grabbing up an apple as he went.

Ensign Eden Bowers
Chief Helmsmen
USS Ishimura

Captain Sebastian Deauvuex
Commanding Officer
USS Ishimura
(PNPC Gregnol)