Lieutenant JG Savel - Call to Home, From... Home?

[Savel]

((Personal Quarters - Compartment 0333, Deck 03 - USS Artemis))

The Vulcan had enjoyed his initial return to the Artemis, since it had been quiet. He got off of the shuttle on DS 224 and proceeded to where the ship was docked, confirmed his orders to come back aboard and proceeded straight to his quarters. He had little in the way of personal effects to drop off once he got there, a couple of outfits that he didn't wish to have replicated and one item that he secured away for later. Everything else had been left exactly the same since he'd last been on board, so there was nothing more he needed to do in order to feel "settled". The first order of business was to check personal correspondence. 

He logged into his personal console and started to scroll through the messages left to him in his absence. Anything marked important or must read had already been reviewed while he was gone, but there were a few personal messages he'd waited to get to until his return. The most recent one was saved until last, both because it made sense to read them in the order they were received but also because it was the one he was the least eager to open. It was the one from his parents. While he did not purposefully delay getting to the message, he did ensure a full understanding of all the earlier messages even if that meant reading them multiple times. When the time came to open that message, he leaned back in his chair and let out a heavy sigh. He could surmise the contents and he didn't want any confirmation. There was no point in staving off the inevitable, however, so he forced himself upright and tapped on the message to open it. Its contents were short, but not sweet, and to the point.

"Savel, contact us immediately."

A lovely message from one's parents. Had Savel not known the context of their request, worry may be among the emotions he'd need to suppress right now, but he was fully aware of why they wanted to talk. So he might as well get it over with. A few presses on the console screen had the call queueing up and he sat back to wait, perhaps with a hope it wouldn't be answered. That small hope was dashed, however, as the image of his father appeared on the screen. And what else did he see his father do other than the brow raise thing that Vulcans so loved to do. Savel didn't like being on this end of it.

Sendet: Your response was not as prompt as I would have liked.

Savel: I contacted you as soon as I read your message.

Sendet: Hmm, I will retrieve T'Raya. Do try to remain there, I am aware you do not tend to stay in one spot for long.

Without waiting for a response, Savel's father disappeared off camera and he was left there alone in silence. Nothing to do but ponder on the remark made by his father, a not-so-subtle jab that all but confirmed the reason for this call. Somehow they knew he'd not only been off the ship, but he'd gone to Vulcan.

It took a few moments but finally his father returned to the view of the camera, along with his mother. She was the first to speak as the two took a position side by side in front of the viewer.

T'Raya: Savel, I see you are currently on board your starship. Not in a uniform, either, I note.

He was, in fact, in a pel-el instead of his Starfleet uniform.

oO Do I sound that way to my colleagues? Always stating the obvious? Oo

If he did, then it's clear where he picked up the habit. 

Savel: Yes, I am on board the Artemis. ::beat:: Perhaps it would be more prudent to discuss why you requested I call instead of my current location?

His parents exchanged a quick glance with one another before both turning back to face the viewer, and his mother was the first one to speak again.

T'Raya: Your location, both current and previous, happens to be the reason we requested you contact us. It has come to our attention that you recently took leave from your Starfleet endeavours and returned to Vulcan. This has left us curious as to why you did not contact us.

The first thing that struck Savel was his mother's choice of words for his career, describing his time with Starfleet as an "endeavour." The next was that someone had shared with them he was on Vulcan for a short period of time. Who would have bothered to send that information to them?

Savel: I was on Vulcan, yes, though my visit there was brief. There was a pending matter to attend to left over from my time with the Ministry of Justice. As soon as it was concluded I felt it best to return home here.

Now his father chimed back in. Obviously Savel's own choice of words had struck some chord with the elder Vulcan.

Sendet: You have not been to your home since you informed us of your premature decision to join Starfleet. I can think of no logical reason you would willfully avoid coming back unless you have some emotional component to your choice.

This caused Savel to let out another sigh and he averted his gaze away from the viewscreen. This caused him to miss another shared glance between his parents.

T'Raya: Sendet is not being direct enough in his statements. Allow me to clarify. Your failure to advise us of your travels, and prolonged absence from Alpha Centauri, lead us to only one conclusion. You are avoiding us. We wish to know why.

The younger Vulcan felt his fingers beginning to drum the top of the Federation standard-issue desk that he found himself seated at. Only his parents could push the right buttons that made it difficult for him to push down and mask any emotions, and any behaviors associated with them. For the most part since he'd joined Starfleet, he'd been able to maintain an overall stoic and logical appearance for the rest of the crew. One call home to the parents was starting to make that crumble. 

He forced his other hand on top of the other, pushing them down onto the desk flat to prevent any more of those ticks. Then his head turned back to look over to the viewscreen. When he saw both of his parents standing there, just waiting for him to respond, he almost felt angry. They looked like they were expectant of an apology to come their way. That he should just admit they were right, he was wrong, and he was going to drop everything he had going on to appease them. That anger grew the longer he stared at them and he wasn't able to fully suppress it before he started to speak. So what followed might as well have been an outburst even though it sounded almost exactly like everything else he always said.

Savel: I see no logic attempting a ruse, so, I will admit you are correct. I had little desire to go to Alpha Centauri. There are multiple reasons, but you have already alluded to one during this short conversation. ::looking back and forth at them before continuing:: My time in Starfleet is not some temporary endeavour and my joining was certainly not premature. I am fully aware during any time together you would both put your energy towards attempting to convince me otherwise, in a vain hope I would decide not to return. Well, I have, the USS Artemis is my current home and it shall remain so. Whether you see the logic in that or not will not be my responsibility. 

The only thing that initially followed his words was silence. Neither of his parents moved a muscle, other than to blink, showing no reaction to anything he said. From what he'd learned about other species in these types of relationships with their parents, this is when you were to anticipate some big argument. An emotional back and forth exchange of heated words that one would apologize for saying later. Not in a Vulcan family, though, and he almost felt like this was going to be worse. 

T'Raya: Very well, your father answered the call. He will end it.

Then she just left the viewscreen and was gone. Almost as quickly as she had appeared. So the only one left standing there was his father.

Sendet: Do not call us again until you are prepared to speak from a place of logic.

His father started to walk away before stopping himself and half turning back to the viewscreen.

Sendet: Perhaps it is best you have not returned home yet. ::continued walking until he was offscreen:: Computer, terminate transmission.

Then the call ended and Savel was left staring at an empty screen. Some more of that anger started to bubble towards the surface until he just had to shoot up into a standing position. As he did so, the chair flew out from underneath him and tumbled over onto the ground. It was as outwardly emotional as he'd been since he'd joined the Artemis and he was glad no one was around to see it, even if it was mild compared to many other species. 

oO Best I have not returned? They called me to complain about not being there, and he ends it by saying it's best I haven't? All because, what, I dared to challenge their opinion on my own choice? Oo

He paced back and forth behind the desk, careful not to glance down at the screen to be immediately reminded of the disconnected call. 

oO I should have known this would be the result as soon as I read their message. Perhaps I am a fool for wanting to think this would go differently than the other times. Oo

He knew he couldn't dwell on these thoughts long or he would be one very foul mood Vulcan, which was not how he wanted to be after just returning to the ship. He needed something to distract him, help his mind forget this exchange and focus on a return to logic. There was something he'd seen in his messages that might do the trick, so he returned back to the console and quickly went back to them to scroll though. After a moment of searching he found it.

Savel had been invited to a party. What a lovely idea. One slightly aggravated Vulcan, coming up!

No TAG/End Scene for Savel

((OOC: Just a quick solo to get the simming juices flowing again, will jump into another one very soon!))

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Lieutenant JG Savel

Security Officer

USS Artemis-A

A240004S14