A Letter Home

Posted on Fri Sep 16th, 2022 @ 9:47am by Cadet First Class Pallas

Mission: The Goddess
Location: Deck 18, Crew Quarters
Timeline: Sometime after "How to Organize a Supply Closet"
1059 words - 2.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Pallas had taken a few laps around the deck. It wasn’t a full run; she usually did those in the morning. But something about being on the Gladiator had rekindled in her a level of energy that she hadn’t had in some time. It felt… it actually felt a lot like her first days at the Academy. Arriving on a new planet, in a space full of strangers with backgrounds completely unlike hers, yet at the same time there for the same purpose. At the Academy, that was to learn and be trained as future Starfleet officers and to figure out their career path. Here, on the Gladiator, it was to complete the mission.

This reminiscing made her realize, with something of a start, that she was long overdue in her correspondence with her family. She made a face at herself in a mirror as she passed it and made her way back to her bunk. She began mentally composing a message as she went about stripping off her running gear and tossing it in the replicator, and then ordering herself up a clean uniform. She got dressed again as she started her message.

“Computer, begin recording message to Herak, First City, Ardana.

Dear Herak,

Hey Big Brother. How’s it going? I apologize for not writing you sooner. But I am okay, there is no need to worry about me.

I have made it safely to the USS Gladiator, my posting for my Cadet Training Cruise. Yes, just as we have always dreamed about, I’m now in a tin can, floating through the void of space, light years away from safety. Hahaha….

What can I say about this place that isn’t classified or mission sensitive? You think I’m joking but… well things here aren’t exactly what I expected. Remember how I told you that a big old Sovereign-class cruiser like this one would probably be negotiating important diplomatic deals, or making First Contact, or studying some bizarre astronomical anomaly? Well, we are doing exactly none of that right now. Which is all I think I’m allowed to say about it. But once the mission is over, and all this is public, wow. You are going to lose it over this story.

What I can tell you is that, actually, everyone I’ve met here so far has been quite welcoming and nice. I mean, maybe not ‘nice’ but at least professional. No one makes me feel like I don’t belong here. My first boss, the chief of Medical, which is my first rotation, she’s an absolute rocket. Just super focused, super professional, no nonsense Commander. But she doesn’t want to be called Commander or sir, only ever Doctor. Doctor Svidi. She is great, and I am already learning a ton from her. I think maybe I want to be her when I grow up?

And the XO, Commander Kosugi, basically gave me this long private tour of the ship because I happened to beam over from the USS Himalaya—that was the ship that transported me from Earth to here—at the same time he did. Seriously he was like, ‘I’ll take your official orders and then here’s your quarters and here’s the Bridge and here’s the mess hall,’ and we had a whole meal together. I stepped in it a little bit, questioned whether he was following procedures by sharing as much about our mission with me, a cadet, as he was and he put me in my place. Well-deserved, but… yes, Herak, I know what you’re going to say. This is what I do, I always put my foot in it or my whole damn self. Hey, I still made it here, so I’m not doing all that bad, right? Anyway, I think I left it at an okay place with him. I guess we’ll see.

I really, you know I’ve just met a ton of folks. Talked with the Chief Flight Officer, he’s Andorian, really loves flying, was actually really nice and talked with me about my fear of flying. Don’t think I’ve ever had a flight instructor like that before; if I did, maybe I would have felt differently about Basic Flight at the Academy. And you know, I went on about that for what a month? Speaking of flying, they have a Fighter Wing here… except it was… oh I can’t tell you that. Yet. Yes, they have a Fighter Wing, and it’s headed by Captain Verra who is Tsu’usugi. Look it up if you don’t remember, but I told you about them when I was taking that Delta Quadrant xenoanthropology class two years ago. She is amazing. A war hero from the Delta Quadrant, some kind of hotshot fighter pilot, which you know how I feel about flying but that doesn’t mean I’m not impressed. But, since you’re wondering, she can fix and rebuild her own fighters, and she let me help her fix one… yes, I can see you grinning at me, yes it was as much fun as it sounds, yes, I’m a giant nerd when it comes to tech. Also, Captain Verra was just really fascinating, super open talking about the home sectors—that’s what the folks from the Delta Quadrant who are here call it—and yes stop laughing at me! I am a nerd about that too! We both know it.

There’s more people I’ve met and want to tell you about, it’s just a little tricky without being able to talk about the mission. So maybe I will wait on that until… after. But I’ve given you plenty of fodder for places and things and people to look up, and to come up with things to ask me about. And you still owe me a message! I want to know all about what you’ve been up to; about that person you have a crush on that you told me about last time but wouldn’t admit you had a crush on them. Tell me everything.

I miss you and I love you. Be well, Big Brother. You’re my heart, and I’m yours. Always.

Computer, end message and send.”

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