Horses!
Posted on Thu Mar 27th, 2025 @ 7:07pm by Lieutenant Gunnar Arnason & Caithlin t'Leiya
1,697 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
What Lies Ahead, Between, and Behind
Location: Haumea
"Leaving, Lieutenant?"
Gunnar tipped a brow at the question. "It is the end of my shift."
"Yeah, but you're actually leaving," MacQuire drawled with slight smirk. "Hot date?"
He just barely stopping himself from blurting out the truth - but 'Horses!' would undoubtedly have resulted in weeks of jokes at his expense. He shook his head, though he couldn't help beaming a smile. "Helping with a delivery."
"Must be some delivery... "
"Oh, stop." Lizza fixed the doctor with a reproving glare. "Let him get going. Otherwise, someone is going to have to sedate him prevent death by vibrating with anticipation," she added making a shoo-ing motion at Gunnar.
With a nod of thanks to the nurse, he all but ran out the door. The transport he'd ordered was waiting and within moments he was at the spaceport and rushing to join the t'Leiyas. To anyone else waiting near the platform, the only question would be who was more excited - the gaggle of young Romulans or the (theoretically) adult Starfleet officer, who looked like a kid about to be given free reign in the galaxy's biggest candy store.
"There it is!" Raikael pointed one finger human-style eagerly at a nearby ship, small enough to be able to actually land and take off again but perhaps somewhat larger than many others that frequented the colony runs; probably because its 'cargo' in this case was not exactly small.
"Yes, it is." Gunnar's grin grew, widening to nearly ear-to-ear as he headed toward the landing pad, trying not to go so fast that the kids would have to run to keep up, but it wasn't easy. "Remember," he called over his shoulder to them, "the horses will nervous - this is a completely new place. The transport will have transitioned environments as best it could, but it's not perfect. So, be calm, approach slowly."
"I have a better plan." Raikael fished in the deep pockets of her pants and pulled bags full of apple slices out of each.
Gunnar laughed. "Not a bad plan, but animals that are anxious will sometimes have no interest in food until they settle, so don't be surprised if they don't take those right away." With that advice, he came to a stop a bit back from where the transported had set down, letting the ground make final checks before opening the hatch.
There was moment of disappointment when the first figure out wasn't leading a horse, but it quickly turned to a smile as the woman waved. "Dagmar!" he called, closing the gap in a few strides that ended in greeting hug. "You didn't tell me you were coming."
"Of course I was coming," she puffed a laugh. "Did you really think they'd send horses without an escort?"
He shook his head, half laughing at himself for not expecting her. "I should have thought to ask who it'd be." Then he turned to the t'Leiyas. "This is my cousin, Dagmar. Dagmar, these are -"
"Gunnar, we've already met." She cocked a brow at him. "I've been helping at the farm since you left for the stars." with a grin she looked over the arrayed children. "Ready to reacquaint with your horses?"
"Yes!" Raikael, apple slice bags still in hand, ran forward; followed only slightly more carefully by Ieliene and Devora and noticeably more cautiously by Arenn and Telek.
Gunnar had started to bend in to catch the kids before they could stampede horses still adjusting form their journey, but Dagmar caught his arm. "It's okay. I assumed you wouldn't be riding them from here, so they're all in their trailers."
"Thank you." He puffed a relieved breath. He'd brought a vehicle excepting to guide a train of horse trailers back to the compound, but had somehow expected to lead the horses out before loading them in. Despite how much potential trouble this saved, he found himself vaguely disappointed. And if he was disappointed... "Wait!" he called after kids. "Let us get the carriers out first. It'll be better if they get their treats once they're out in Haumea air."
"OK." Raikael stopped in place, but still seemed rather unable to contain her energy, instead bouncing in place slightly on her heels.
With a smile at the girl's entirely understandable enthusiasm, Dagmar activated a control wand causing a line of horse trailers to roll out of the hold. Snorts and stomps could be heard from the impatient horses within, all identified by names emblazoned on their respective trailers. As each emerged and stopped in line, she watched children run to them - it was a good thing she also controlled the door locks or they might have round up horses from the tarmac. But her eyes slid to her cousin as the last one rolled out.
"Bjarmi?" Gunnar exclaimed spotting the name of the foal he helped pull into the world when he'd last been home, the one named after the first horse he'd had as a child. He wasn't sure what to feel at seeing him - happy that the colt he'd grown so fond of was here, but a pang at knowing he belonged to someone else, even a family he was close to. "I thought..." he swallowed. "I thought they'd keep him for stud."
"He wasn't even a yearling when you decided refuse a perfectly good discharge," Dagmar replied, if a touch tartly. She'd almost thought he might decide to take it, if only to stay with the horse. "And you knew he was big for his age last time you were home. Now, he's 14.6 hands." She saw the understanding on his face as well as a sort of resignation, and chuckled. "Over-tall for breed standard," she hip-bumped him, "just like his rider."
A sort of light went off in his expression. "He's for me?"
"We weren't going to send horses and not one for you." She widened her eyes at him. "You've survived too much stuff out here to wind up dying from envy."
"Takk." He embraced her thankfully, if briefly, before heading for the horses at a jog - eager to see Bjarmi all grown up and also wanting to get there before Devora could figure a way to pick the trailer locks.
"RAENA!" While the rest of the children certainly enjoyed riding horses, Raikael was perhaps the only one of the group besides Gunnar especially excited to spot a specific horse she had bonded with as hers, and had made a beeline to the correct carrier.
The filly stomped, flinging her bright mane at the familiar voice - and anticipation of treats.
"Go on," Gunnar said with a nod, pulling carrot chunks from his own pocket to offer Bjarmi, who was behaving more calmly, but was already reaching for the expected snack. "Look at you, all grown up," Gunnar crooned to the colt.
"I don't know how T'Ango isn't jealous," Dagmar remarked, coming up behind him to give him the control wand. "Here, slave the carriers to your truck and get the horses to their new home before," she looked around at kids bouncing in front of carriers and pointedly back at him, "everyone gets too excited."
"Yes, um, of course," he said, tearing himself away from the horse to accept the wand. And remember his manners. "Do you have time for dinner before the transport leaves?"
She puffed a laugh. "Return flight is in two days. I intend to inspect the barn, and see your quarters, your hospital, the town - everything I need to answer all the questions I'll definitely be asked when I get back."
"Fair," he laughed. He did try to stay in touch, and had dropped by home on leave ...well, almost a year ago... but family always worried. "I did take a couple days leave to get the horses settled in, so I can show around." He waved Caithlin over. "It looks like our 'horse escort' will be staying a couple days."
"Do you have accommodations arranged; or are you in need of such?" Caithlin gave a just-so welcoming little head nod to Dagmar. "The barn is located on my property; it could be convenient." This was, as much as anything else, a sign that the two women had met before; because not just anyone was allowed to stay inside the house of someone who had very justifiable fear of being killed in the middle of the night in their sleep.
"I have a berth on the ship, but a room in a real home near to the horses' new home would be very much appreciated," she replied with a polite inclination of head that indicated she had both met Caithlin before and had learned a bit about Romulan culture.
"Excellent," Gunnar said approvingly. "Let's get the trailers moving and once we get the horses settled - and the excited children settled down - I can make us all a meal to celebrate."
"I'll guess we'll be eating late," Dagmar replied with a sly grin. "Since if memory serves, you were always the child hardest to pull out of the barn."
"He may be passing that trait on to the next generation." Caithlin smirked and side-eyed Raikael; who from her memory of her behavior on Earth; seemed to take the excitement her sisters and cousins brought and possibly kick it up a notch into a downright horse-obsession; including for the parts the others were less thrilled with like barn work.
Dagmar's brows rose at even a joking reference to him passing anything to their next generation, which was perhaps another sign of how much she'd learned of Romulans. Cousin, what has that fascination with aliens gotten you into this time?
Gunnar chuckled at her expression. "I may have told too many stories about horses, and about being the youngest but better at handling them, when she was little and feeling left out as the youngest." He smiled fondly at the girl fawning over a horse as spirited as she was. "Or she may just know a good thing when she sees it. Come on, let's get everyone home."
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