Humble beginnings

Posted on 15 Apr 2013 @ 3:47am by Lieutenant Theron Rhodes & Ensign Im'er Mor'an

1,664 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo - Officer's Mess
Timeline: MD 04 1300

ON:

Theron sat in the officer's mess looking out the window at the molten planet that lay before him, as he sipped on his tea after his meal. His mind went though the trecherous events of the Survey Mission down to the planet surface. He was very pleased to be back on the ship. His thoughts then drifted to the unknown dangers that may be out there waiting for them on the other planets and moons.

Mor'an entered the mess and saw Lt. Rhodes sitting by himself. There were hardly any people in the area and he looked so withdrawn into himself in thought that Mor'an decided to sit with him. She ordered mint tea from the replicator and carried the steaming cup to where Rhodes was sitting. "May I?" she asked.

Rhodes glanced up and smiled, "Yes." he replied, sliding his glass and plate over to provide more room for her and her drink. "How has your day gone?" he asked.

"Very well," Mor'an said, sliding gracefully into the seat across from Theron. She wasn't sure what else was required of her to say in greeting, so she opted instead to look down into her tea, her hands wrapped around the cup tightly.

Theron smiled then looked away out the window where a planet from Rojar lay in the black not too far away. He asked sombrely, "What do you think we will find in this system?"

Sighing ever so slightly, Mor'an followed Rhodes' gaze out the window. "I am not sure," she said thoughtfully, "Hopefully something worth our while." She paused and looked sideways at Rhodes. "I wonder how potential inhabitants might take our arrival."

"That is always a concern of mine." Rhodes replied sombrely. "Will we overwhelm them or will they immediately become aggressive to our presents."

"Or perhaps," Mor'an said slowly, "They will welcome us, albeit cautiously. That is what my people did. Ta'rkan welcomes knowledge, which is why we were so welcoming of the Federation."

"Welcome knowledge?" Theron asked curiously. "Is this a term I am unfamiliar with?"

Mor'an wasn't sure what Theron was asking her. "I do not know," she said. "Maybe receptive of knowledge is a better way to say it."

"I see." Theron took a sip of his drink. "How did the Ta'rkan accept or receive the knowledge that there were others in the galaxy?"

"Slowly," Mor'an said after a moment of thought. "As I said the other day, any type of change like the Federation is sudden for my people. There were a few, mostly the elders, who were not pleased with the idea. Generally speaking, though, my people accepted it."

"That sounds like it went well." Rhodes said, then added, "But I guess it took some time before you applied to the Academy?"

"Oh yes." Mor'an paused as she drank from her cup. "I actually applied late because of my personal training within my order. Normally I would have graduated by now. How about your people? Were they receptive to such change?"

Theron tried to explain, "Even though the Tandarans have been a space faring people for some time, It was the social mechanism that has guided most to not allow others to influence our people." The Tandaran took a slow deep breath, then added, "It is not so much that the people were receptive. They were mostly kept in the dark about other societal traditions and practices."

"I see," Mor'an thoughtfully, "You said that your brother in Starfleet as well? Is he older or younger than you?

Theron smiled and chuckles silently. "Stephon is my twin. He also went into Security."

"Oh." Mor'an wasn't sure if she should apologize for her mistake. "Is he your only sibling? Or do you have others?"

Theron rolled his eyes slightly at the thought. "There are 7 children in my family; 3 brothers and 3 sisters. Stephon and I were in the middle of the group."

Mor'an nodded in response. "I have an older brother and two sisters, one younger and one older." She sipped again from her cup. "Are you and Stephon the only ones in Starfleet?"

"Yes." Theron simply replied, but then thought, "Well, there is another Tandaran in Starfleet. I only met him once. Curiously, he also is in security."

Mor'an nodded, remembering that he had said previously that there was only one other of his kind in Starfleet. "I remember you did say that last time we spoke. It must be nice to have others of your kind in Starfleet with you. I have Del'an, my mentor, but she is not a member of Starfleet."

"Well," Theron began, "I guess it is nice to know that we may be setting a trend, but like I said, we have only met and not gotten to know each other." Tilting his head to the side, he asked, "And your mentor, do you get to see her often?"

Shaking her head, Mor'an looked down into her tea. "I did not get to see Del'an often while I was in the Academy, which was hard. She is on board the Galileo now, though. I only see her once or twice -- not nearly as much as I would like. Do you have a mentor?"

"Ah, she is close though. That is nice, I am sure." Theron took a sip of his drink and thought about the last question. He had no mentor. Would it reveal too much of him to admit this. Would it be look poorly on him if he did not have one? "I do not have a mentor, in this respect. There are individuals that I admire and look up to, but no. There is no one for me to seek out for counsel." His eyes cast down into his cup.

Theron's mind brought back memories of his brother Stephon. They had always been together, up until the 2nd year at the Academy. After that, any free time for Theron and Stephon had been uncommunicative. Stephon would not talk to Theron about his projects or his new friends in the intelligence group that he had become part.

Theron looked up and smiled slightly at Cadet Mor'an, "I am sure I will find someone to confide . ." He stopped before ending his thought and looked over his shoulder to see who else was around. He looked again at Mor'an, "It definitely will not be Lt. Stone." and then quickly took another drink from his cup.

Leaning closer, Mor'an lowered her voice. "And why is that?" she asked. "I have not as of yet been aquatinted with Lt. Stone."

Theron chuckled a little, "It is not my place to disrespect a senior officer. I would just advise that you take everything the Lieutenant says with the understanding that he has the ship's best intentions. It has just been observed that . . well, some personnel do not understand his frame of reference." He quickly took another sip from his cup.

"I shall have to meet the Lieutenant myself to make a judgement," Mor'an said, "Del'an taught me to be cynical to a healthy extent." She realized how that sounded and quickly corrected herself. "I am not a cynic," she was quick to assure Theron, "Not to any extent."

"I see." was Theron's simple reply. "Well then, meeting Lt. Stone, I think, will be a new experience for you." Theron just smiled. He did not want to explain further. She would have to experience Lt. Stone for herself.

After taking another sip of coffee, he asked, "What have you been doing in your off hours?"

Mor'an thought for a moment before answering. "Well," she said finally, "I meditate a great deal. It is part of my culture. We meditate a lot. I also like to spend time on the holodeck fighting." She grinned. "An unusual combination, I know -- meditation and fighting. What do you do?"

Theron pursed his lips slightly, "I would not say that meditation and fighting are unusual at all. I know that when I do the Cata for Tan-Kei, a Tandaran fighting style, it is a very focusing and sometimes calming for the mind."

"Calming?" Mor'an said, "Yes, I can see organized fighting as giving a sense of calm."

"As far as things I do." Theron continued, "I work out each day. I do research on weapons of combat from many races around the quadrant. My most recent acquisition is a copy of a Romulan Officer's sword that Lt. Cho and I found on Vega IX. It was quite an amazing find."

Mor'an's eyes widened at the idea of a new weapon. "May I have a chance to see it someday?" she asked, "I like bladed weapons. A lot."

Theron was encouraged by Cadet's eagerness. "Of course. I will have you come by tomorrow or so. I have quite a collection."

Eye still wide, Mor'an nodded enthusiastically. "I would like to very much," she said, "I have a small collection of my own at home. I brought a select few with me if you would care to see them." She was glad to have found someone with a liking for blades like she did.

"Sounds like a great idea." Theron said excitedly as he stood. "But I must go now. There are a few things I have to complete before my duty shift."

"Of course," Mor'an said with a nod. Duty comes before pleasure. "I shall see you another time, then." She looked up at Rhodes with a smile.

The Tandaran returned the smile, "Okay. I will call you later." He turned and walked out off the Officers Mess.

Leaning back in her seat, Mor'an finished her tea as she thought about the prospect of seeing new blades. She was glad that Rhodes was willing to share his collection with her. Her tea finished, Mor'an stood and left the Mess.

OFF

Cadet Senior Grade Im'er Mor'an
Red Squad Intern
USS Galileo

Lt. (jg) Theron Rhodes
Asst. Chief of Security
USS Galileo

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