The Station Approaches

Posted on Wed Jul 6th, 2022 @ 9:25pm by Lieutenant Roark Sograni

Mission: Prelude: The Gathering
Location: USS Jeanne Baret
Timeline: Mission Day 1 at 0700

74 Days Later

The Sidra Itri was on its way back to the Deltan home world with a lot of happy Deltans aboard and Roark, aboard the USS Jeanne Baret, couldn't help but notice the difference both in atmosphere and decor. He shared their delight in experiences, especially those that brought him out of his comfort zone, which meant that the Starfleet vessel seemed subdued by comparison. The ship had a neutral color scheme that seemed designed to be as bland as possible and Erisen was already threatening to send a few things to liven the place up.

For the most part, the trip was uneventful. Not a word that Roark liked applying to his life which meant that he found himself in the common areas most evenings. There were cerebral chess games, quietly non-intrusive music played low enough that the most sensitive ears would not be bothered, and soft conversation. There were books to read and even movie nights. Crew members in small groups that seldom interacted with each other.

Quiet was also not one of Roark's favorite words.

And so, being the sort who did not do well with uneventful and also not the sort to just endure, introduced a card game from his home world. Queen's Grace was hard to teach, involving as it did both gambling in the form of trades, collaboration, betrayal and endless intrigue, but worth the effort. No two games ever ended the same way. Back at the Academy, he had ended up returning to his quarters wearing a towel he had swiped from one of the bathrooms and he'd had to fight for that. And, while the game hadn't gotten quite that out of hand on the Sidra Itri, there was intrigue aplenty, shared stories, and laughter. And all of that led to learning a Japanese tea ceremony and a few impromptu dinners with favorite dishes from a number of worlds.

Within a week, the quiet knocks on his door started and he spent time talking to crew members about homesickness, loss of a loved one, and sometimes, just all the fears that came with a life out in space. Being a counselor meant that he spent as much time, if not more, with the enlisted than he did with the officers. Being a counselor meant that the code of behavior that most officers adhered to was relaxed in his case. And that suited him just fine.

By the end of the trip, he had made himself at home on the Jeanne Baret. He left one of his decks with the crew, he had brought several, and made a mental note to have more shipped. But now it was time to move on again. To another ship and another crew and another challenge.

He packed with the economic efficiency of one who has spent a great deal of his life on the move. Early because there were a couple of people he wanted to talk to before he left the ship. Not serious problems but still, he would offer to communicate with them, ship to ship, if the need arose. Early because he tended to live somewhat chaotically when he travelled. Going by the theory that there was no need to put things away that were just going to be packed again, everything tended to stay out. Early because he couldn't sleep. The last ceremony, connecting with his fourth Ostach had been difficult. The idealism of youth, flung at everyone in his path as though he alone had all the answers, only to find at the last just how wrong he had been.

Yawning, Roark finished packing and left his cabin. The first of the people wanted to talk to was just coming down the hall.

"Doc," the young man said as he approached. "Wanted to say good-bye and ... well ..."

Roark listened because that's what he did. He listened and if he was lucky, he helped.