Ensign Meris: The Visit from the Astralnaut
Meris/Brian
((Family Residence, Wendaii, Morning))
Meris woke to early morning light.
The light was not harsh or dramatic. Wendaii rarely allowed for that. Pale, diffuse brightness filtered through the tall window, softened by the city’s atmospheric diffusers that floated overhead. The air smelled clean and faintly mineral, tinged with the distant promise of salt from the coast.
Olive sat on the windowsill, leaves angled toward the light as though they had always lived there.
Meris lay still for a moment, heart already beating too quickly.
oO Today matters. Oo
They rose and padded down the hall to the bathroom. There, they disrobed and stepped into the sonic shower. The vibration filled the small chamber, a low harmonic hum that resonated through bone and muscle. It stripped away the lingering scent of sleep and replaced it with sterile freshness. The sound reminded Meris of shipboard mornings, of readiness checks and quiet purpose.
They were missing the Thor.
After their shower, the pilot dressed with care. The red uniform jacket settled over their shoulders, smooth and precise. Insignia aligned. Cuffs straightened. The curls atop their head bounced cheerfully as they worked product into them, coaxing each one into place. When they finished, they studied themself in the mirror.
Bright. Capable. Commanding... perhaps?
oO Someone to be listened to. Oo
They secured Olive in their carry case and headed downstairs with the plant at their side.
((Family Residence, Kitchen))
The kitchen was already warm with activity. Terrell stood at the counter, stirring a pot that steamed gently. The air smelled of toasted grains, fruit syrup, and a subtle J'naran floral spice. It was comforting and grounding. It was good to be home.
Zereth sat at the table. Their posture was stooped even while sitting, something Meris could not help but notice. Their parent’s eyes were focused on a personal display device scrolling through the morning’s headlines.
Olive’s leaves rustled faintly as Meris entered the room.
Terrell turned, spoon still in hand.
Terrell: Oh. Good morning. Look at you.
Meris’ eyes smiled brightly at the greeting.
Terrell: You look like you’re ready to face the day.
Zereth glanced up.
Zereth: That color is alarming.
Meris blinked and looked down at their red uniform, briefly wondering if they had spilled something on it.
Meris: It... red denotes the command division.
Zereth frowned.
Zereth: I see nothing commanding about visual aggression.
Terrell waved the spoon.
Terrell: Perhaps wear a cloak while traveling.
Meris hesitated.
Meris: This is my uniform. I earned this.
Terrell nodded.
Terrell: Yes, of course, dear. By all means, wear it for your lecture. But on the way to the Education Center, a cloak might be less alarming to the other commuters.
The pilot sighed softly.
Meris: I will bring one.
Terrell ladled the oat dish into bowls.
Terrell: Sunrise oats. Ground grain, coastal fruit, fermented nectar.
Meris took a bite. Warm. Sweet. Comfortingly bland.
Olive remained silent and dignified. They were not hungry.
((Education Center, Wendaii))
The day was a pleasant one as Terrell and Meris made their way to the Education Center.
Clear skies. Mild air. The streets of Wendaii were busy but calm. Pedestrians moved in orderly streams along pale stone walkways. Transport skimmers glided soundlessly overhead. No horns. No rush. Traffic flowed like a choreographed dance.
Meris walked beside Terrell, cloak drawn loosely around their uniform. The fabric brushed against their legs with each step.
Olive was cradled carefully at their side.
The Education Center rose from the plaza ahead like a thought made solid. White stone terraces. Carved geometric reliefs. The air smelled faintly of stone warmed by sunlight and flowering trees planted at measured intervals. They passed the main buildings, then the surrounding academic structures, before finally reaching a smaller building on the outskirts of the complex.
Terrell: Your hall is on the third floor. It has been assigned to you for exactly one period.
Meris felt their chest tighten.
Meris: One?
Terrell nodded, already hearing the disappointment in their child’s voice.
Terrell: Do not fret, dear. This is just the first of many lectures you will give in your lifetime. If things go well, they will no doubt move you to a larger hall, perhaps even a more central building, for future visits. It is very progressive of them to have you here at all.
Meris held Olive a little tighter.
They passed a cluster of students gathered near a notice wall. Young adults, uniformly dressed in muted tones. Curious eyes flicked briefly toward Meris’ red uniform hidden beneath their cloak, then away. No hostility. Just indifference.
Meris spotted the flier.
THE VISIT FROM THE ASTRALNAUT: A DISCUSSION OF THE GREATER GALAXY AS HOSTED BY ENSIGN MERIS OF STARFLEET
They had to admit that they rather liked the title.
Terrell: The students came up with that.
An administrator passed them, light grey robes whispering softly.
Administrator: Good morning, Terrell.
Terrell: Good morning, Administrator.
Administrator: Is this your child? The Astralnaut who has come to visit?
Meris inclined their head.
Meris: Yes. I am Meris.
The Administrator nodded.
Administrator: May your knowledge find receptive minds.
Meris: That is most kind of you. Thank you.
((Lecture Hall, Education Center))
The room was smaller than Meris had imagined.
Thirty chairs. Hard-backed. Perfectly aligned. The air smelled faintly of cleaning solution and recycled air. There was no warmth to it, no sense of anticipation. Meris suspected they might have once attended lessons in this room many years earlier.
They set Olive in a prominent location at the front, removed their cloak, and straightened their uniform.
Terrell grimaced slightly.
Terrell: I wish you had not felt the need to bring your plant.
Meris: It is an exhibit - an Earth plant.
Terrell: ::nodding resignedly:: Of course it is.
They smiled fondly anyway.
Terrell: I have my own classes to teach. I wish you a good lesson.
Meris looked up in surprise.
Meris: You are not staying?
Terrell squeezed their shoulder.
Terrell: I have my own classes this hour. Do not worry. I am quite certain you are going to do wonderfully.
Their parent gave them a final, loving look, turned, and departed.
Meris watched them go. They then retrieved a small stash of holo-emitters from the pocket of their cloak. They arranged them carefully around the front of the room and activated them. One by one, the crew of the Thor filled the space. Familiar faces, frozen in simulation.
Their eyes lingered on Naledi.
When everything was prepared, Meris took their seat at the front of the classroom and waited.
A bell rang, marking the start of the period.
((Later))
Time stretched.
Light shifted slowly across the floor as the hour passed in silence.
The bell rang again, sharp and final.
Footsteps echoed in the hall. Muted voices in quiet discussion.
The door to their lecture hall swung open and a small J'naran instructor hurried in. They looked Meris up and down, their gaze lingering too long on the red uniform.
Instructor: Have your students already departed?
Meris glanced from the instructor to the empty room and back.
Meris: Yes. We… finished early.
The instructor nodded and began setting their things on the desk.
Instructor: I have this room for the next period. Can you clear your materials?
They waved vaguely toward the holo-images of aliens they didn’t care to recognize and the plant without really looking at them.
Meris: Of course.
Meris deactivated the emitters and packed quietly, hands trembling only slightly as each device powered down.
Students began to file in. Young. Serious. Curious in the abstract way of those not yet committed to curiosity. A few stared openly at Meris’ uniform. One snorted softly at Olive.
Olive ignored them.
Instructor: Take your seats. We will begin shortly.
Meris pulled their cloak back on, lifted the plant carrier, and left.
((Wendaii Streets))
The city was still beautiful.
Sunlight glinted off white stone. People moved around Meris, indifferent and purposeful. The scent of flowering trees and warm pavement filled the air.
They remembered what Zereth had said when Meris first proposed joining Starfleet so that they might teach their fellow J'naii about the greater universe.
oO Who would want to learn such lessons. Oo
The words landed heavily.
Olive appeared far more successful at ignoring the memory. It enjoyed the sunlight.
Meris walked home, cloak shielding them from sight, plant held close.
They felt small.
Forgotten.
One among many.
All they wanted was to cry. But crying would set them apart.
---
Ensign Meris
Helmsperson
USS Thor
A240207M14