All Work and No Play

Posted on 01 Feb 2015 @ 12:41am by Lieutenant JG Kalos Jang Ph.D.

453 words; about a 2 minute read

I've been on this ship more than a month, now, and we're getting close to clearing out of here, from what I understand. The ship's starting to get fuller as people return. It's starting to feel like how I imagined it'd feel. You can feel a certain energy in the air as shore leave starts to come to an end and people know that we're going to head out there into space. Or maybe that's just me. I don't know what we're going to do or where we're headed, and this pretty exciting. When I was younger and reading about Starfleet and hanging out near the ports, listening to freighter crews talk about what was going on, I always wanted to be out there. Now I will be. And I get to make machines while I do it. It doesn't get any better.

I've finally managed to get the replicator programmed to turn out my Cuban coffee just right. I got hooked on this stuff back on Earth. Between you and me, I may not think the planet's very interesting, but they have some pretty good food. The labs are quiet and for the most part people leave me alone when I'm working, which is nice. I've made decent progress on my first project, the energy-absorption nanites. I think I'll be ready to test a prototype in another month or so.

I keep thinking about this conversation I had with the counselor when I was getting cleared for duty. We talked about personal stuff. Like relationships. Even before I left Farius, I started to keep to myself. When I decided to focus on school, the friends I had all disappeared. Or I stopped hanging out with them. Either way, I went on my own. Then I went to Daystrom and I had these goals, right? So I focused on them. And then there was the Academy, and then work at the nanoengineering lab and everything that wasn't getting me here just never seemed as important, maybe? So friendships fell away, relationships could end and I had my plan, so it was okay.

Now I've met most of my goals. I'm in Starfleet, I'm on a ship, I'm going to work in the field. The counselor suggested forcing myself to go out there and focus a little more on personal things if that's what I want to do. Maybe it is. It's weird, isn't it? Being a 32 year old man trying to make friends. Back home, I made friends by whoever committed the best felonies. That doesn't really work here. Hang out at the lounge and...smile at people? Is that how you do it? Ugh. Now I just feel weird.

End personal log.

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