Wind in Our faces, Sand between Our toes

Posted on Mon Dec 29th, 2025 @ 9:56am by Lieutenant JG Benjamin "Ben" Dalton & Lieutenant JG Kate Kono

1,845 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Shore Leave on Risa
Location: Risa
Timeline: After Rocking On Risa

Ben and Kate decided to get a closer look at the wind surfers and see if that was something they wanted to try out or did they want to keep looking for something else. "What do you think Kate? Something you want to try or do you want to keep looking?"

Without a nanosecond of hesitation, Kate stripped off her sundress in one fluid motion, revealing a shimmering electric-blue one-piece that hugged her slim bones like an EVA undersuit. She slapped her credit chip against the kiosk with such enthusiasm that the Risian attendant's eyebrows actually twitched. The poor windsurfing instructor—a bronze-skinned Risan with the patience of a Vulcan meditation master—barely finished his safety speech before Kate snatched the board and sprinted toward the water, leaving a cartoon-like dust cloud in her wake.

"The beginner area is THAT way!" the instructor hollered, pointing frantically at the calm lagoon as Kate bee-lined for the expert cove where waves crashed like miniature supernovas.

The Risians watched horror as Ben’s girlfriend—who once almost needed an emergency transport after getting her foot stuck in a horse's stirrup just weeks ago—suddenly transformed into a windsurfing goddess. She rode that board like she'd been born on it, her short, but gradually grown-out black hair whipping behind her like a battle flag as she sliced through the cerulean water.

A monster wave—the kind that would make even Klingon warriors reconsider their life choices—rolled toward her. Kate cackled maniacally, angling her board with surgical precision. She rocketed up the watery mountain, launched into the stratosphere, and for one heart-stopping moment, became nothing more than a gleeful speck against the Risan sun.

"YIPPEE-KI-YAY, MOTHERFU—" her joyous battle cry was cut short by the spectacular CRUNCH of her board connecting with the rental hut's metal awning. Anyone who wasn’t paying attention under the hut and around the dock suddenly jumped form the metallic clang. Somehow, she surfed DOWN THE ROOF and splashed back into the water, arms raised in triumph like she'd just won the Battle of Wolf 359. Kate giggled while motioning for Ben to join her as the water around her rippled like there had been a photonic impact.

The shell-shocked instructor turned to Ben, his mouth hanging open like a malfunctioning cargo bay door. "So, this is my first week on the job," he muttered, shaking his head. "Tell me straight—are all Starfleet officers certifiably insane adrenaline junkies, or did you just happen to fall in love with the human equivalent of a Tarkanian exploding goose?"

Ben watched as Kate stripped off her sundress , paid for a wind surfer and dashed madly into the expert area. His eyes twinkled as he watched her. She was so full of life, of manic energy. Met every challenge head on.

He watched as she skillfully surfed the mountainous waves with nerves of steel. heard her yell and his grin grew and then disappeared as she was swallowed by a wave only to reappear, surfing down the roof of a hut. He looked at the instructor and answered with a smile. "Most junior officers are adrenaline junkies to be sure but Kate, now she is just fearless. Can't resist a challenge."

Ben then wiggled his finger motioning the instructor closer. "It also helps that she is certifiable." He finished with a huge smile on his face.

Kate tugged at her board, her fingers dancing to keep the kite aloft against the amber sky. The crystalline waters of Risa lapped at her ankles. Hours of kite-boarding had left them breathless and famished. Kate's one-piece suit clung to her slender frame, droplets of seawater catching the golden light as they trailed down her skin. The balmy evening air caressed her bare shoulders while they secured their beach chairs with discarded towels and her flowing sundress—a promise to return for the sunset. Hand in hand, they strolled along the weathered boardwalk, the scent of salt and exotic blooms mingling as they whispered about dinner possibilities.

"That was a freakin’ blast!," Kate breathed, her eyes reflecting the fading light as she ruined a magicla moment with her usual restrictive blast. But still, she kissed Ben to show her appriciation for the moment even tough she ruined the tempo.

Ben kissed her softly, tenderly. "I'm glad you had a good time. When we get ready to eat, we'll go dancing afterwards and then you can see my moves." He grinned at her.

"Know any spots where two people can get lost in the music?" Kate asked, tucking her bare legs beneath her in the weathered chair. Salt air drifted through the open windows of the dockside restaurant they'd stumbled upon. She leaned forward, eyes dancing with mischief. "And later... I'm curious if those hips of yours move just as well horizontally." She caught the toothpick between her teeth, drawing it slowly through her lips as a drop of replicated burger sauce clung to the corner of her mouth.

Ben smiled at her question. "I do as matter of fact. The Starlight Room. They have a huge dance floor with several of those old disco globe lights and live DJ. We can dance the night away. As for my hips, just wait till we get back to the room and you'll get your answer."

Kate stepped onto the rotating dance floor, her holographic dress pulsing with geometric patterns that phased between Vulcan red and Andorian blue. She took notice that Risian Police were in the club and they were escorting out the Bolians that got too fresh with each other just as they had in front of the resort. "Some species take 'my quarters are your quarters' way too literally," she quipped loud enough for Ben to hear, all while executing a perfect Risian shimmy that made the slender Asians dress's light patterns scatter like photon torpedoes. The latest Mars-born synthwave—"Warp Speed Romance"—thundered through the club as she performed a series of hip-pivoting maneuvers that would make a Dabo girl jealous. The slender Junior Grade Lieutenant moon-walked in place against the rotation, effectively achieving station-keeping until Ben could beam himself onto her orbital dance path.

“Come on! It’s not on spin cycle, yet!”

Ben needed no further encouragement. he was on the dance floor in an instant and beside Kate. "Not bad." he mused at her moonwalk, "Watch this." he told her as he launched himself into a series of jumps, twirls a moon walk or two. it appeared he was made out of jelly, he was so limber, so flexible as he danced. He grabbed Kate, pulled her close, spun her around, gave her a quick toss in the air and caught her without breaking a sweat and finished it by kissing her on the dance floor. "How you like me now?" He grinned at her as he then proceeded to sing the song.

Hey, I was always the crazy one, broke into the stadium
And I wrote your number on the fifty-yard line
You were always the perfect one and a valedictorian so
Under your number, I wrote "call for a good time"
I only wanted to get your attention
But you overlooked me somehow
Besides, you had too many boyfriends to mention
And I played my guitar too loud
How do you like me now?

How do you like me now, now that I'm on my way?
Do you still think I'm crazy standing here today?
I couldn't make you love me, but I always dreamed about
Livin' in your radio, how do you like me now?

When I took off to Tennessee, I heard that you made fun of me
Never imagined I'd make it this far
Then you married into money, girl, ain't it a cruel and funny world?

He took your dreams and he tore them apart
He never comes home and you're always alone
And your kids hear you cry down the hall
Alarm clock starts ringing, who could that be singin'?
It's me, baby, with your wake-up call

How do you like me now, now that I'm on my way?
Do you still think I'm crazy standing here today?
I couldn't make you love me, but I always dreamed about
Livin' in your radio, how do you like me now? Yeah


I will preach on

Kate's eyes sparkled with mischief as she pulled him close.

"So this is why our sonic shower's memory banks are filled with your dance algorithms," she teased, her breath warm against his ear. The holographic DJ transitioned seamlessly to another classic Earth melody, and Kate spun away, her movements fluid beneath the pulsing bioluminescent lights. Hours dissolved like stardust as they danced beneath Risa's artificial weather dome. Eventually, they found themselves at the transparent aluminum bar that overlooked the planet's famous azure seas, their fingers intertwined as twin moons crested the horizon, bathing everything in a silver-gold glow that made the ocean shimmer like dilithium crystals.

Ben chuckled as Kate pulled him close and teased him. he loved being in her company and now being here, dancing with her was just icing on the cake. They danced long into the night laughing, giggling enjoying each other's company. "Are you having fun Kate?" Ben asked.

"Of course I'm having fun," Kate whispered, her lips brushing the corner of his before kissing him a moment. The dim bar lights caught the amber flecks in her eyes as she pressed her thigh against his on the leather barstool. Her fingers traced the nape of his neck, sending electricity down his spine. The bass from the speakers vibrated through the mahogany counter where their drinks sat forgotten.

"Ready to have more fun?" Her voice dropped an octave as she leaned in, the silk of her dress sliding against his forearm. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, a promise of what awaited them beyond the crowded bar.

She bounced up like her grav-boots had malfunctioned, her face lighting up brighter than a warp core breach.

"OMG, come ON!" Kate squealed, tugging at Ben's sleeve. "It’s our mission as Starfleet officers to strip down nakie and make those Bolians look like total quantum losers compared to our relationship subspace field! We're gonna make the bed go all structurally compromised, cause a noise violation in adjacent quarters, vibrate the transparent aluminum until the Risian computer logs it as a micro-meteorite impact while Aaron’s working on the planets environmental systems, and generate enough auditory data to crash the main computer core with our epic love-transmission!" She yanked Ben toward the hotel with the determination of a tractor beam.

Ben blinked, once, twice as Kate told just what they were going to to once they got back into the hotel room. He slowly snooded as Kate grabbed his hand and yanked him toward the hotel and their waiting bed. "Oh, just a nice quiet night," He quipped as his eyes danced in delight at what the night still held in store for them both. It would indeed be a night to remember.

 

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