Ensign Imril - Winding The Conversation Down
Chris Taylor
(( Elysium – Main Lounge, Deck 6 – USS Artemis-A ))
Imril: It’s not that I don't trust my fellow crewfolk to do their share of the work. I do. One of the best parts of the job is getting to see another engineer do something that’s never occurred to me before. Learning from them. It’s just that I don't like not doing anything.
Ollie made a face at them, as if to say that he didn't want them to feel they needed to be so defensive.
Bergmen: Not doing anything, or not doing anything worthwhile in your eyes?
Imril had their issues, but feeling like what they did wasn’t worthwhile was not one of them.
Imril: It’s all worthwhile in the end. Even the mistakes are an opportunity to learn and get something right the next time. Even if it’s not me that does it.
They thought back to the Genesis planet. The device used to break the Da’al’s communication blockade was a group effort. The culmination of two separate teams’ worth of innovations and failures lashed together into something that got the job done. They just happened to be the one who put the final pieces into place.
The memory of three devices forming a finished product brought to mind an anecdote from the days as a cadet.
Imril: Back in the Academy, first year, I had to write a paper on pre-holodeck entertainment technology. My research looking for a topic sent me down this rabbit hole to a human woman named Lucille Ball. She was part of Earth’s first ‘golden age’ of television. Pioneered a setup for recording programs that went on to be used as the standard for decades. Something she said once was, “The more you do, the more you can do.” I’ve taken that as kind of a personal motto. But maybe you’re right about how I’m just moving the bar to the next thing.
Bergmen: I can only say what I know. Work will fill us for a moment. But that moment passes, work is done, and that leaves us void. So we take more work to fill that void. Life is more. Should be more. My grandpa once told me - for a long, happy life, we need three pillars. Work the work gives us engagement, someone next to our side we like, and a feeling that our life has meaning without the previous two. Life can be happy with just two pillars, but we never find happiness standing on just one leg, alone. ::pause, as he looks at Imril’s mug and his own empty glass:: Refill?
Imril took a long sip, enough to consume half of what was left in their cup. Enjoyed another dose of caffeinated buzz. Considered the ramifications of a second helping.
Imril: ::Shaking their head:: I don't think I should, thanks. I don’t think a lot of coffee’s going to get along well with my lunch. Fast-food burgers and insect nuggets.
Ollie shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
Bergmen: Ok, I will not torture you here any longer. Be free! You have my permission to return to work - not like you would need one. But let’s make a deal. We do this again. No need to just sit and drink… This ship, planets, or stations offer plenty of R&R options, so I believe we’ll find something else that interests both of us next time. Or something new we wanted to show to the other... Time will tell. What do you say, deal?
Imril waved away any suggestion that they were making an excuse to end the meeting.
Imril: Oh, it’s not torture. Might be later, if I have too much coffee. ::laugh::
They finished their cup and looked around. Not at the window and the work being done past it. But at the tables. At the people enjoying the Elysium and each other’s company.
Imril: Deal.
Bergmen: Deal.
(OOC: We can end it here, or Bergmen can have the last word)
(OOC: I'll be titling Imril's remaining pre-promotion posts as Ensign to keep them organized in my gmail archive, but from here on will sign off with the Lt rank)
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Lieutenant JG Imril
Engineering Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240110I12