Lt. Robin Hopper: Memory Lane
Robin Hopper
((Amity Outpost – Peace Park, Desert Biome))
As they walked side-by-side through the hot dry biome, Robin took a moment to study the younger woman. Something felt quite familiar about Iko, despite the fact that they didn’t know each other well – and were from opposite ends of the Alpha Quadrant. At last, she put her finger on it. Between her willful attitude and tussled hair, Bec and Keri could have found themselves in the same line up.
Hopper: You know, you remind me of my sister. A little. ::Chuckling:: I promise I mean that in the most complimentary way possible.
She was thankful to see Bec grin, rather than scowl. Had she ever seen Robin and Keri together in a room, she might not have appreciated it so readily – but Hopper meant it earnestly.
Iko: Oh?
Hopper: She’s ‘feisty’, and not afraid to speak her mind… oO I can only imagine what she might have said to the Trenvonn in front of Captain Rahman! Oo …and she also just needed to get away for a while. I think she’s done a lot of growing since then.
Bec’s eyebrows raised. Robin smiled, wondering if she had read the security officer accurately.
Iko: You sure she’s not me? ::shaking her head and smiling:: Sorry, continue...
Hopper: She’s at university now, studying politics. Following in one of our mom’s footsteps, sort of. I guess we both just realized Theta VII wasn’t “big” enough for us in our own ways. We had other places to be, other things to do with our lives.
Iko: A whole galaxy out there with your name on it.
Robin nodded, looking out at the desert biome around them. It was beautiful in its own stark, in-your-face sort of way. The other biomes beyond each offered just a small taste of what the wider galaxy had to offer. It was truly inspiring.
Finally, she turned back to Iko, pulling her own head back out of the clouds.
Hopper: Do you have any siblings?
Iko: Uhm… Well if you don’t count Wong, and Richie, and Scotty, and Wil, and Probably S’Raga, and also probably you now - if you don’t mind - … ::holding up her fingers:: I have three.
Hopper: Ha! No, I don’t mind. Even at the Academy, I started to feel a bit like that with some of my friends… Hey, hang on a moment.
She paused at a water fountain. Brushing her hair to the side and out of the way, she bent down to take a drink. The desert air had her parched.
Hopper: Tell me about them.
Iko: All older brothers, well, step-brothers technically, but we were very, very close knit as kids. They were always good for a rough n’ tumble or if you needed someone to talk to.
Standing up straight again, she dabbed carefully at her lips with the back of her hand – the moisture quickly wicking away into the dry atmosphere surrounding them. The resumed their stroll.
Hopper: You say you were close knit as kids… What about now?
Iko: We’re not in that much contact any more though… separate ways et cetera, you know the drill. People come in and out of your life like freight in a cargo ship.
Robin looked down at the ground for a second, watching their feet walking along the path.
Hopper: Some do. But when you find the right ones, you’ll find they keep coming back. You know, Lieutenant Wong and I first met at the Academy? ::Grinning:: We used to get into all sorts of trouble…
Iko: Response
Hopper: I take it you two are pretty close? Heheh… He probably wouldn’t mind me telling you about the time he re-programmed a bunch of the replicators to add a stack of rainbow pancakes to every order. ::Chuckling:: Then there was the time I adjusted the Universal Translator in a history classroom so that every “the” was switched to “my”... A subtle change, but when the prof started discussing all of “my war” this and “my peace accords” that, it definitely turned some heads.
Iko: Response
Hopper: I guess I don’t really know what my point is. Maybe just that you don’t necessarily know in the moment how big a role the people around you are going to play in your life, in the long run. Maybe the friends you have now will be by your side right up ‘til the end. We just have to cherish every moment.
Iko: Response
And with that, they had entered the Mackinac biome. Robin hoped Iko wouldn’t mind as she wrapped an arm around her shoulder, resting her palm against her back, and gestured to the glorious trees surrounding them.
Hopper: Now, look at that! ::Whistling:: What do you say, little sister? Want to go make some memories together?
Iko: Response
Hopper: Okay – let’s find a suitable area for… I dunno, let’s say twenty garden plots to start! Hey – maybe you can use your tree climbing skills to get a better view of the area?
Iko: Response
TBC
