Ensign Yogan Yalu – Arthur Miller's 'A View from the Bridge'
jkpbem
((Bridge, Deck 1, USS Resolution))
Stepping off the turbolift onto the bridge, Yogan was surprised that it looked exactly how he’d expected. He descended the few stairs that led to his workstation at the forward end, just aft of the viewscreen. The console was slightly curved and had space for two, but since the panels were not illuminated, he couldn’t tell whether the other workstation was for ops, tactical, or something else. As he looked around, he had the unmistakable feeling that someone was standing behind him, and when he turned around, he was right.
Yalu: Commander MacKenzie. ::nods:: Ensign Yogan Yalu, reporting for duty.
MacKenzie: Good to see you, Mr. Yalu. How are you finding things?
Yalu: I am pleased to be here, Commander. ::indicating the viewscreen:: Certainly the best spot for a good view of the stars.
The commander smirked, and Yogan smiled in return.
MacKenzie: You got that right. You’re our helmsman, correct? Didn’t I read that you used to be a doctor?
Yalu: That is correct, Commander. I trained as a physician, but I also have a level 5 pilot certification. I started flying spacecraft as a teenager, and earned a navigation credential at the Academy.
His XO shrugged and raised her palms.
MacKenzie: Well, sounds good enough for me. Why the switch out of medicine now?
It was a fair question, and one to which Yogan had spent a lot of time pondering the many answers. He knew that now wasn’t the right moment to get into the inner workings of his psyche. Nor the complex relationship between him, his symbiont, and its other lifetimes worth of memories. Nor the societal pressure on joined Trill to “advance the symbiont to the next level,” whatever that was supposed to mean. All of that was secondary, anyway, to another reason: desire for a change.
Yalu: I’ve been studying and practicing medicine for much of the last 15 years, and I felt the need to push myself in a new direction. New challenges, new skills to develop. I’m sure I’ll don the teal collar again in the future, but for now, I am happy to be doing something different.
Yogan knew of Dr. Addison MacKenzie from reading her publications. When he received his transfer orders, he thought the first officer’s name was familiar, but he didn’t realize that the well-known surgeon and the Starfleet commander were one and the same until he’d seen her for the first time in the shuttlebay. He wanted to ask the same question back to her–having known her career, he was curious why she’d chosen to pursue command–but that was a question best left for another time.
MacKenzie: Well, it’s a small ship. We run into any trouble, and you might very well have to put that training to use. Glad to know we’ve got so many capable physicians on board.
Yalu: Aye, Commander. I’ll keep my medkit on standby.
The commander smiled and nodded.
MacKenzie: Take your station, Ensign.
Yogan started toward the forward stations, but hesitated for a split second. Was Resolution left-hand or right-hand drive? He was about to activate them both to determine which, but Commander MacKenzie must have sensed this and gestured toward the starboard station.
MacKenzie: That one.
Right-hand drive. Yogan nodded to acknowledge the commander’s gentle assistance. It was good-natured and genuine, without any feeling of judgment or ‘gotcha’ attached. The commander winked as Yogan took the starboard station, activating the panels and keying in his access codes.
MacKenzie: Captain on the Bridge!
The one drawback to flying the ship is that you never see what’s going on behind you. Yogan stood at attention and faced aft, toward the captain as she made her way to the center of the Bridge.
Nicholotti: Response
MacKenzie: What are your orders, Captain?
Nicholotti: Response
Tag/TBC
Helm Officer
USS Resolution NCC-78145
Justin
D238804DS0
“Oh, did you see the stars colliding, shining just to show we belong?”