Ensign Akaris Venn, Still No Fanfare
Iain Chiswell-Carter
(( Hallway - USS Constitution-B ))
Shedet: I'd be happy to show you around if you don't mind.
Venn: That would be fantastic! Based on the fact that I couldn’t even transit from the docking port to the bridge, I suspect I’ll need all the help I can get in finding my way around here. So, Cadet Shedet, I put myself in your capable hands!
Well he may have blown the first impression but, maybe, he could make a decent second first-impression.
oO That’s a thing, right? Oo
Shedet: You sound like a person after my own heart. You're talking to the ship's resident accident waiting to happen.
Okay, while the Ensign would admit that he was no expert on facial expressions, that definitely looked like the good kind of grin. The kind that said ‘I am amused’ as opposed to the kind that said ‘I’m going to enjoy removing your organs while you are unconscious from the sedative I have laced your food and drink with…’ Not that he knew the specific grin that conveyed the latter, mind, but he was sure it wasn’t the kind he was currently seeing.
Venn: Really? Well, I guess that isn’t necessarily all bad - it must keep life fun and interesting, right?
Akaris was very glad he had encountered someone so well versed with the ship and the Commodore’s routine. It could so easily have gone the other way, even horribly wrong if someone had chosen to play a malicious prank upon him and sent him on a wild goose chase. The Academy rumour mill had had plenty of horror stories of things done to new Ensigns upon arriving at their first posting.
Shedet: So, what's your specialty? I mean, I saw you're wearing blue but not sure you made Medical or science.
Venn: Well, I imagine being a healer would be great and I have nothing but respect for the hard work they have to put in. But, alas, my heart and soul belongs to that which holds the keys to truth and understanding of all that was, is or ever will be - ::pausing a moment for dramatic effect:: science!
Sadly, there was still no mysterious fanfare to properly accompany such revelation.
Shedet: Cool! I'm in science...well...trying to graduate from the academy to get a permanent seat in science. Xenoarchaeology is my primary though I've done pretty much everything.
Well, wasn’t that an interesting development? Digging through alien tombs for artefacts wasn’t Akaris’ idea of a career, but he knew enough to know he was doing a disservice to that subject and those with a passion for it by reducing it to such a singular activity. At any rate, the cadets willingness to broaden her horizons into other facets of science was highly commendable.
Venn: That speaks highly of you. One of my academy professors was always expressing his opinion that any good scientist should not overly focus on one area of interest. ‘You never know when knowledge of the historical migration patterns of a species of avians may provide insight into the stellar mechanics that have influenced their world.’
oO Ah, good old Professor Reinhardt. Confusing academy students with his verbal tangents since 2357. Oo
Venn: I’ve always been partial to studying stellar mechanics and astrophysics, but I firmly believe there is something worthwhile to be found in every area of study. It’s one of the reasons why I got on so well with Professor Reinhardt. It was like looking at an eccentric, seventy-years older version of myself.
Shedet: You train at earth or one of the satellite academies?
Unsurprisingly, that was a popular question to ask of an Academy Graduate. There was after all some mysterious prestige to attending the Academy near Starfleet Headquarters on Earth, that made you that little bit better than someone who was educated at the satellite academies. Akaris thought the whole thing was ridiculous, but status-conscious cadets would only grow into status-conscious officers and perpetuate the whole cycle.
Mind you, Akaris had stacked the deck in his favour to ensure he could attend the Academy on Earth. It had consumed the entirety of a summer break from school in order to acquire the references and experiences to stand him in such good stead, but it had been worth it to achieve his goal.
Venn: I attended the Academy on Earth - the satellite academies wouldn’t have given me the specific opportunities I was looking for.
Shedet: response
Venn: Well, back in ‘81, the Borg hit Risa and they hit it hard. I spent years living on starships and in temporary housing while the Corps of Engineers worked to fix my homeworld. It meant a lot that all those strangers would work so hard for us, for no substantive reward.
Shedet: response
Venn: Yeah, I get that now, but back then I figured I owed these people and there wasn’t much I *could* do. So I recorded as many ship names and their crews that I came in contact with or observed during those years. I promised myself that one day I would find them all and thank them.
Shedet: response
Venn: ::chuckling:: I know, I was somewhat ambitious as a teenager. Still, being on Earth gave me the chance to work on crossing a few names off my list. In the end, I found 23 retired and 7 active people and gave them the thanks I believe they deserved. ::sounding disbelieving:: Would you believe that of those thirty people, thirty of them told me that getting the job done right was thanks enough? That’s just *so* Starfleet, right!?
Akaris had gotten so focused on the animated conversation he was engaged within that he had not paid much attention at all to their travels through the ship. In fact, he couldn’t even begin to guess what deck or section of the ship the pair were currently within.
Fortunately his guide knew exactly where she was going.
Shedet: response