Fleet Captain Addison MacKenzie - Taking Flight

[Addison MacKenzie]

(( Captain’s Ready Room – Deck 1, USS Artemis-A ))

 

The Artemis’s new helmsperson, in an attempt to report for duty on time, brought her a PADD with their assignment orders that was sticky after an apparent run-in with some gelato. Rather than be late and procure a new PADD, they decided to try to justify why their first encounter warranted such a mess. The whole ordeal was so absurd that MacKenzie couldn’t help but try to find amusement in the situation.

 

And to make a point.

  

Meris: I wanted to be controlled and prepared ... for you, ma'am.

 

The J’naii then lowered their arms to their sides again. Her smile spread widely, akin to that of the Cheshire Cat.

 

MacKenzie: And how do you think that’s gone so far.

Meris: Well, sir, to quote the Chinese fortune cookie I ate for breakfast this morning... 'A rocky path softens when wisdom guides the next choice.'

She closed her eyes and nodded. Now they were getting somewhere.

MacKenzie: I think that could possibly have been a better choice.

Meris: Aye, sir. I’ll keep that in mind.

MacKenzie shrugged, deciding to swiftly change the subject after feeling that her point had been appropriately driven home.

MacKenzie: So, tell me a little about yourself. Why become a pilot? And why in Starfleet?

The J’naii tilted their head to the side, considering the questions.

Meris: Well... I didn't set out to become a pilot. In many ways, piloting found me. 

The corner of Meris’ mouth twitched as the only indication that this was intended as an amusing statement.

Meris: Prior to attending the Academy, I had never actually flown... anything. My parents had never even allowed me to drive our hover car. But we were given aptitude tests prior to attending the Academy, and I achieved high marks for spatial awareness, reaction time, and situational judgment. Based on my scores, the Academy Counselor suggested I participate in a Flight Workshop in the months before I started my first year ... well, once you've been airborne do your feet ever really reach the ground again?

 

MacKenzie: ::shaking her head rapidly:: I wouldn’t know – I’m a doctor, not a pilot.

 

The J’naii helmsperson straightened and shifted from one foot to the other.

 

Meris: As for why Starfleet... it was an expeditious means to an end.

 

MacKenzie: Oh?

 

Meris: On the J’naii homeworld, young people are expected to serve our culture directly and meaningfully. There are few opportunities or paths that allow one to move off-world. My parents are a scientist and an educator and, had I stayed, I would’ve been expected to follow their path and contribute locally, just as my twin, Seral, will. Seral is a brilliant scientist and they’ll continue that legacy. That would have left me to become an educator. But that’s not who I am, nor who I want to be.

 

Meris: Joining Starfleet wasn’t about rejecting my heritage. I’m proud to be J’naii. But I’ve always found the galaxy beyond my world more fascinating than what was within it. My twin and I have an unspoken agreement: they stay and carry forward our homeworld and culture, and I explore everything else the galaxy has to offer. Eventually, I’ll be expected to return and share my experiences. In that manner, I’ll fulfill my role as an educator. But until then, I serve the Artemis.

 

MacKenzie rocked her head from side to side, contemplating the implications of such a choice, and the impact it might have on an officer.

 

MacKenzie: That was certainly no small sacrifice. But, if you feel that both your interests and your obligation to your people are being met…?

 

Meris: Response

The commanding officer nodded. She hadn’t met many J’naii in her service and didn’t know much about their customs as a result, but she found some nobility in the sacrifice of Meris’s twin for their pursuit of galactic exploration, and their desire to one day return home and share their knowledge.

 

MacKenzie: Fascinating. And have you ever piloted a Luna-class starship before?

 

Meris: Response

MacKenzie: The Borderlands presents its own unique set of astronomical challenges, particularly where piloting the ship is concerned. What do you know about the region?

 

Meris: Response

 

 

 

 

Tag, and TBC!

 

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Fleet Captain Addison MacKenzie, M.D., Ph.D., FASFS
Commanding Officer
USS Artemis-A

Captains Council Member at Large

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