Ensign Keneth Nakada - Taking Chances
Keneth Nakada
The commander flicked his eyebrow, what might be interpreted as a raise even. Interesting, he thought to himself as he considered his next words.
Nakada: I initially applied to be a science officer, get into research like my father did. They gave me engineering instead. My entire first year I spent appealing to the Academy Science Council. I ended up not switching though. I realized that pure science gets old fast - I prefer things more … real life-ish.
Shayne nodded slowly as Keneth reflected back on that first year. It had been an anxiety filled period, full of constant stress and fear. Yet, when he had gotten what he wanted, put in all that work, it no longer seemed so interesting. Switching had almost seemed like a step backward. So he’d turned down the transfer to a room full of bemused commandants.
Shayne: You’ll find there’s nothing more real than Starfleet, Ensign.
That was an interesting take. His own frustration with a consistent global culture and perceived lack of true diversity on Earth had been a consideration while joining the fleet. But … even he couldn’t get that feeling of home anywhere else. It wasn’t an exact response in the context, but he supposed it was what he wanted to say.
Nakada: Yes, sir. Though I would say that there’s still no place like home.
Shayne: And what are your goals, Mr. Nakada? You’re already a fine engineer. What else do you strive for?
Another application-esque question. It’s not that he blamed the officer, he would have asked similarly. He just had a weird hate-love relationship with ‘What are your ambitions?’ and ‘What do you want to achieve?’ and the eternal ‘Why do you want to join Starfleet?’.
So what did he want to achieve? He hadn’t honestly given it that much thought. He had been so caught up in the whirlwind of activities at the academy - getting involved in research, endless certification courses, electives and the whole halabalaboola – that he’d never considered the semantics of life in the fleet.
His whole life, even after switching to engineering, he was never someone who wanted to be a risk-taker, or call the shots. He’d imagined himself as a glorified lab monkey, doing theoretical work in the background – away from the action. The posting on the Juneau had been a perfect mix. Cutting edge research and problems on the frontiers, with the ultimate in interstellar comfort. But his sudden, somewhat involuntary venture onto the Arrow had changed everything. He’d absolutely loved the action. In fact, he wasn’t sure how he had ever gotten on before. The background itch of boredom he’d had throughout his life, that had driven him to join Starfleet, get off planet, it had finally been scratched. It was obvious why in retrospect – he’d left his comfort zone of theoreticals and actually done stuff.
Nakada:
I’m
not completely sure, to be honest. All I know right now, is that I
want to stay in the action, so to speak.
He’d have to think about it – where he imagined himself in the future, and the big question – did he want to join command eventually? The prospect excited him, but he didn’t want to make hasty decisions. He mentally slapped himself. Not making decisions is how he’d gotten into his slump in the first place. He took a deep breath.
Nakada: ::holding up a hand:: Actually, I’m going to be brave and say it today. I want to work towards command.
He could feel a weird fusion of uplifting joy and crushing ridiculousness spread in his head. But as his mother used to say – opportunities can be limited time offers. One side of his head was berating him. Who do you think you are? An upstart ensign, that’s who. Then again, people who accomplished great things always sounded ridiculous. He did not want to end up a Starfleet statistic who remained an ensign till fifty, before retiring to a vacation planet. He had to take a chance.
Shayne: Response
TAG/TBC
((TAGS: Shayne))
Ensign
Keneth Nakada
Engineering Officer
USS Arrow, NCC-69829
J23970KN0