New Person on the Block?

Posted on Thu Oct 26th, 2023 @ 10:46am by Cadet Sophomore Grade Aenardha Sh'vastarth & Cadet Senior Grade David "Dave" Holloway

2,091 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: **ARCHIVED** 1 - Cruising through the galaxy
Location: The Transporter Room
Timeline: ???

As Dave quietly strolled through the bustling corridors of Starfleet Academy, his gaze inadvertently caught on an unusual sight by the transporter room. An Aenar, a fellow cadet from the look of her uniform, one that he had seen around but never really interacted with, was painstakingly dragging a pair of Starfleet-issued duffels out of the transporter room, her slender form clad in the standard moisture-wicking Starfleet uniform. Her unique appearance, like a living monochrome holo-image, made her stand out in the crowd. Her long, solid white hair cascaded gracefully, contrasting starkly with her dark uniform. But it was her pure white eyes, unmistakably signaling her blindness, that held his attention.

Dave hesitated for a moment, watching her movements with a mix of curiosity and admiration. He was typically an introverted individual, content with observing from a distance, but something about her presence intrigued him. Her aura seemed to exude an unspoken determination and purpose, and he couldn't help but wonder about her story. And then again, he was a senior Cadet, he should offer his help to others.

Just outside the transporter room, Aenardha stopped. She had dragged them only far enough for the door to the transporter room to close. Not known for strength, the Aenar could not carry heavy objects for long durations. For having less strength than the average Aenar, Aenardha certainly had to stop every twice in a while to catch what strength she could to continue dragging her duffels down the corridor. At this particular time, there was no one in the corridor to help. Likewise, there was no one whose sight she could tap into to see with. She knew the general direction at least and started dragging her belongings once again when she picked up the presence of another mind; eyes she could see with. And, through those eyes, she could see herself; a pitiful sight. Those eyes also took in her form, her hair, she looked back and at herself through said vision.

From the man's point of view, she was looking him in the eye.
 
Clearing his throat gently to announce his presence, Dave finally mustered the courage to speak. "Um... hey there," he began in a soft-spoken and slightly hesitant tone, "Do you, uh, need any help with those duffels?" His sea-blue eyes met the whiteness of her own, and he offered a tentative, shy smile, though he wasn't entirely sure she'd see it. Dave's intention was to initiate a conversation, however awkward it might be, with this fellow cadet who had piqued his curiosity.

"Sure," said Aenardha with a smile. "I...uh...I thought I could move these." She started to stand them up on their ends but one slipped from her weakening grip and gently fell to the floor. She gave up trying to retrieve it and focused her strength on the remained duffel.

Dave gave a small smile as he approached her, he had been working on tackling his anxiety, and this was his chance to do so. He spoke with a small smile, "No No worries, we got this." He gave a nod as he began to help her, not that he was very strong himself, but one duffel was something he could manage. "I am Dave, I mean David Holloway, Senior Cadet."

"Ov...well...um," she stopped herself, "Aenardha Sh'vastarth. Sophomore Cadet. I will be working in Operations." She got two hands on her other duffel and managed to get it up. "The transporter controller said my quarters are down this corridor and down two decks." She used his vision and stepped along beside him. "Where will you be assigned?"

"Oh me, I am the Chief Engineer Officer, to be assigned to the well... the upper decks, I am responsible for all the of the ship working... well as it should." As he spoke his nervousness rose, he knew he didn't have to do the whole thing himself, but the weight of the ship upon his shoulders was no easy thing to control. Nervousness was quite rampant on his face. "Um... I specialize in the software, Hardware is not my specialty but I can manage well enough on it as well." He spoke with a nod to the Aenar.

Aenardha could feel, easily, his unease. Unable to see him, she was able to hear his nervousness in his voice. She did not need to be a telepath to tell that. She wanted to help him feel as comfortable as possible. She did, after all, originally train as a counselor. "You do have a team of engineers under you," she reminded him of the fact. "You are not alone and no engineer has ever managed to keep his ship in top shape by himself. So," she looked at him and smiled, "it is your team that keeps this ship together. You just have to lead the team."

"I know... but still, I will be their chief, if they do anything it will be on me, what if I give them the wrong direction... What if I am not able to lead." That was the source of his insecurity, his ability to lead, he was never an orator of any kind, and he didn't have any gifts for speeches, all he had was his talented mind and hopefully, that would be more than enough to keep him afloat on the Stardancer.

"If you give them the wrong direction," Aenardha started as she worked to carry the one duffel. The back end kept brushing against the floor as she did her best to not drop it. "If that happens then you and the team will learn from that mistake. If one of your team approaches you with an alternative or believes your directive is incorrect, then listen to that person and judge accordingly. You do not lead by being right all the time and by your decision being final all the time. You lead from the front but you keep your eyes and ears and mind upon all of your team. You say hardware is not your specialty?" Her duffel slipped from her weakening hand. She switched hands for a better grip and pressed onward with Dave. "Someone on your team will specialize in hardware. Make that person a squad leader, rely on his knowledge, base your decisions on his counsel. That is how you lead." Aenardha dropped her duffel again and resorted to dragging that one.

They approached the turbolift.
 
Dave followed along, it was a struggle for even one duffel bag, but he was managing well enough, "But that is what scares me, if I lead them wrong then the whole thing could go south." He spoke as he tugged the duffel along. What the Aenar was saying was right, he needed to rely on others for decision-making, he could counsel and lead on what he knew, but for the rest, he needed to have someone with him. "But what if I don't find anyone to help me on the ship, what if they are all relying on me to take them through this instead of the other way around?" He asked once more as he helped her get the duffels on the lift.

Aenardha was grateful for the turbolift ride. She was winded and needed to regain some strength for the remainder of the trek to her quarters. "At the Academy, we are all exposed to the same material," she said. "Some pick up some of the material quicker than others. On top of all that, we are all trained to be leaders. If he who is appointed as our superior goes down or is otherwise not present, then someone who is the most senior or had the most experience must take the lead. So do not think your team will sit around twiddling their thumbs if you are not there." She stood her duffel on its end and leaned against it, resting her arms atop. "Do not think of yourself as the head of your department. By that I mean a literal head. Nor are you the brains of your department. You are the Chief Engineer. You make the final decision and your team does the work. They already know how to do it. They come to you when there is an impasse; in the heat of battle." She could sense his anxiety. It was almost tangible.

"I know, I know...." Dave shook his head, he was not doing it all, he was only guiding them in the right direction but there was only so much he could do. "I understand you, I do, but this is something I have to overcome myself, it is just a big test... a five year long test." He gave a sigh as he leaned on the duffel. "Anyways.... the more we talk of this... the more I am to ramble one... why don't you tell me something about yourself."

Aenardha shrugged with, "not much to say really." Except of course how she sent an Andorian ship's captain to a mental asylum in perpetual fear of a cosmic horror telepathically implanted into his mind by Aenardha herself. "I hail from the poles of Andoria. So, I love the cold and tend to overheat easily. Which reminds me, I am going to have a request for Engineering. I will submit the request to my supervisor first for his approval."

"What kind of request, if its hardware... I probably should not be the one handling it."

"Oh...um...something for my quarters," she said. "Only if I do get my own quarters. But, I joined Starfleet really because," she was not authorized to tell the truth, so, "because I wanted to see the stars. I did study counseling at first. I mean...really...what else can a blind person do? But, I...uh..." she paused before indicating how she was forced out of that focus of study for something more labor intensive, "felt my calling was in Operations. I did want to be a pilot, but something about being blind made them shake their heads at me. I can see...through the eyes of others. You know, telepathically. But piloting will sometimes need razor sharp reflexes and detailed control. I, do not think I have that."

He gave a small nod as he listened to Aenar, "I joined.. because well it was something my parents wanted but it was also a way to get away and out of their shadows. I don't really have all that close of a bond with them and I would be better somewhere far from them." He gave a small shrug speaking as if it were normal. "I don't want to overstep my boundaries, but you don't really seem to like your calling in Operations, at least from the way you talk... "

"As I mentioned, I did start in Counseling; did two years of that and read into it a great deal more before, during, and after my time studying to be a counselor. But..." and there was a really big 'but' there with a twofold explanation. One she did not want to talk about and the other she was forbidden to talk about. She saw through Dave's vision that he looked at her as her pause lasted a bit too long. She needed to say something. "But...I decided I...wanted to work with my hands more. To...uh...do something most say is closed to someone who is blind." She used his vision to make sure she looked him in the eye as she finished. Then she looked away as they pressed onward. "That is how I got into Ops and working the transporter."

Dave was not one to pick on context clues, or verbal even, but the pause was long and even he could gather that something was amiss. And he certainly didn't know her well enough to prod, instead, he was content to listen as he looked onward as the shuttle carried them on, "I get it, I myself applied to get the Computer System Specialist in the Engineering Section, but I was upped to the Chief Engineer, and I don't think I can handle it. At least not with ease."

"Things worth doing; things that matter and make us better as a people...are seldom completed with ease. Believe me," the turbolift doors opened and they pressed onward, closing in on Aenardha's assigned quarters. "Once you get started in Engineering, you will see that all this anxiety and doubt was unfounded." She pointed forward, "that is me, four doors down."

 

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