LTJG Josh Herrick: It's My Brain

[Mark P]

OOC: Taking a page from Mikey’s book, all thoughts here are purely the character’s and not mine.

 

((Writer’s Room, Deck 8, USS Octavia E Butler))

Aside from some short-term rotation assignments for a week or two, Josh had never properly lived on a starbase. Those short stints felt more like a ‘working vacation’ than actually truly experiencing daily living. Karen on the other hand had this and was more than happy to share with him.

 

Stendhal: Oh, yes, Starbase 118! It's truly a remarkable place, believe me! It's vast; I don't think I've seen every corner, and I only know about 20% of it. It's a bustling metropolis in space, brimming with opportunities and adventures, but also a bit overwhelming, let's say. I must admit, I miss it a bit, and I miss the people too, at least some of them. Dr. Marsh, for instance, is like a little sister to me, and by some inexplicable coincidence, we resemble each other like two peas in a pod, even though we're from different species.

 

A smile crossed her face, and Josh appreciated the fact that she was fondly reminiscing about the past.

 

Herrick: (curiously) So, would you say one trumps the other?

 

Stendhal: I believe that working on a spaceship offers more opportunities to make a real difference. Before Station 118, I served on the USS Columbia, but well... let's just say it didn't meet a good end, that ship.

 

The engineer took a sip of his drink in the silent moment. At least the ‘Oumuamua, banged up as she was, hadn’t been written off by Starfleet. While practically replacing a mission pod wasn’t an easy task, the bulk of the ship had been in decent shape at the end of its last mission.

Stendhal: (breaking the silence) May I ask who Caden Voss is? I randomly catched that name, sorry, but he must be important to you.

 

Herrick: He… oO It's still so hard to talk about him. Why can't I just move on?Oo"

It had been hard enough to discuss this with Nesre… and now this telepath had been digging around in his head. The emotions he held were complex on both fronts.

 

He couldn’t be upset about someone’s biology, and again doubted that Karen had any malintent by picking up his thoughts, but it didn’t sit easy with him — then again, if Nilsen realized some of the records stalking the man had done on him, he assumed the reaction would be similar.

 

Unhealthy as it may be, he decided to box it all up and put it on a mental shelf for now. She didn’t need all the details, maybe just enough to satisfy her curiosity.

 

Herrick: (starting again, somberly) He was… a good officer. He gave his life to protect me and my sister Em, and I owe him everything.

 

As he put the glass to his mouth again, and the liquid entered his mouth, the light and sweet taste now seemed dulled. At least he was self-aware that more counseling was in order. His eyes flicking up to Karen and then back to his drink, but would it be with her?

 

He realized his thoughts were likely being broadcast to her, but the efforts made to hide them were already in vain and perhaps, hopefully, she’d understand.

 

Stendhal: Response

 

Herrick: (softening his tone) Don’t get me wrong counsellor, I don’t have any issues with Betazoids or telepaths. It’s just ::pointing to his head:: there’s always a lot going on in there and… sometimes I find it better to just leave it there than trying to unpack it.

 

Stendhal: Response

 

Herrick: Perhaps, but all the same, I think this conversation is better suited for another venue and time. ::taking a final sip from his glass:: I did appreciate the company though; I’ll see you around.

 

With that, he stood up and nodded politely with a smile to the woman he’d been sitting across and started his trek back to engineering.

 

[End Scene for Herrick]

 

OOC: This will be a bit of a long-term self-discovery of Josh; one where on paper he’s fine with IDIC but as he personally experiences some facets of it, he wrestles with the notion. ie. Can’t help someone’s biology. On a separate note, I really enjoyed this scene with you Stefania ❤️; Josh just can’t seem to catch a break when meeting one-on-one with folk 🤣. 

---

Lieutenant JG Josh Herrick

Acting Chief Engineer

USS Octavia E. Butler

O240005JH3

he/him/his (player/character)