[snip]

It had been several days since Sharah had arrived on board and sent out letters to everyone. Ashlyn, her best friend, was still back on Europa. She wasn’t much for sending letters and Sharah wasn’t expecting to hear from her frequently. But she was pleasantly surprised when she returned from duty to have a message from her.

Trenton Letter 1
Trenton was having a rough day and it showed when she started recording the message. “Hello Sharah, as you can see they already took out your half of the Jefferies conduit and I’m due to get a new roommate by the end of the week. Apparently Engineering got a wave of newbies so they stuffed them into any place that had a spot. I did some research and Ensign Lenora Kein doesn’t sound too bad. Graduated in the top 10% of her class, was a part of several extra curriculars so she’s a bit of a social butterfly in my opinion but that doesn’t mean she’ll be bad. She comes from a well off family and her educational background is…well what you would expect from a girl that grew up in a happy household. What I get from those that interacted with her in the Academy was that I should be prepared to let her do things. Didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me but I’ll figure it out later.”

“On another note, I’m surprised you don’t have your pilot’s license already. I don’t have mine but that’s because I crashed the shuttle into the bay while trying to do stunts. Turns out the instructors REALLY don’t like that.” Ashlyn laughed at her own misfortune. “I miss you already and hope things work out for you alright out there. I’ll talk to you again soon.”

Fayth letter 2
“Hey Ashlyn. Yeah so she’s probably bossy if they are telling you to let her do what she wants. I had a roommate like that at the Academy. It was easy at first because I didn’t want to interact, but it was…well my whole time there was rough. So don’t use my experience as a reference point. I’m sorry they took the other half down, but it looks like you got to keep the parts you liked best. I hate they transferred me and not you, but I guess we knew it would happen. I mean you’re going to join Intel, and I wouldn’t be going with you.”

Sharah sighed, “No, do you know how badly I could crash a shuttle if I got distracted? There are already a ton of rules to allow me to perform surgery. Forget piloting a shuttle that could explode if I do something wrong. No, there won’t be any piloting for me. Oh I forgot to tell you though, I did get my phaser certification while I was gone. I finally got that worked out. Ark Angel is kind of terrifying. I tell you though, the number of places to hide in the jefferies tubes is something else. OH speaking of which, this is a family ship, so the children, led by the CO’s daughter, sneak up on people using the tubes. I wish you were here, we could go sneak up on them.” Sharah laughs. “How’s your sessions going?” She’s really worried about those with the ship’s counselor.

Trenton Letter 2
“Hey Sharah, the sessions are alright for the most part. She’s concerned that I fail at recognizing social cues which is what primarily leads to my default of fl-” Another woman starts yelling in the background. “What is with you, didn’t I tell you to get rid of those eye sores, I can’t bring anyone over here with those!” Ashlyn closes her eyes and lets out a sigh. “Ensign Kein, you are free to decorate your side of the room however you see fit, I am free to decorate my side of the room however I see fit. I thought we agreed for BOTH our sanities, we wouldn’t bring guests of any kind to this room.” The human red head comes into view of the screen, she’s clearly taller than Ashlyn is, then again most people are. “No, we agreed that you wouldn’t throw any of your-”

The message was cut off at that point and when it came back up Ashlyn was alone again, though it was clear she wasn’t in her room. “Sorry about that, turns out the new roommate heard some rumors about me that go above and beyond anything I would actually do. Rather than investigate she took them as doctrine and has decided I’m on par with Orion slave girls. I’ll deal with her later. I’m glad you got phaser certified, I’ve been working on the ship’s security systems and found out something interesting that even you could look up. The security software data is published within the last six months, but the firmware data still has a date of 2370. It’s not been updated since before I was born and has quite a few vulnerabilities I’ve been able to exploit. I’ve even found a way to build a secure tunnel into the main computer through the replicators! It’s been hilarious. I’m going to go for now, gotta find a place to take a nap that isn’t around Barbie’s evil step-sister.”

Fayth letter 3
Sharah watched Ashlyn’s last message and frowned. She hated the situation. She and Ashlyn had found a steady rhythm and they understood each other. They were both so different from everyone else. It was hard knowing that Ashlyn was there alone, and she was here, equally alone. But she knew what the crew there was like. Ark Angel was different though. “I’m sorry she’s so….nasty. Ignore her. There is a time limit on these things. As soon as it is up, ask for a new roommate. She’s toxic. That little display that was recorded is enough to get her looked at.” Sharah had experience with problematic roommates.

“That sounds…like a bad idea. A current software but really old firmware? Shouldn’t that be updated? That leave the computer core open to attack wouldn’t it?” Sharah has no experience with computer programming, but she does listen when Ashlyn talks about it. “I hope it gets better. Things have been good here, except, well sleep is hard. And the kids tend to invade the arboretums, and you know I love kids, but their minds are…well chaotic like a child. It makes for some long days. Ignore your roommate Ashlyn. She’s nobody in the grand scheme of things.”

Trenton Letter 3
Ashlyn’s recording is once again not from her room, “I took your advice and chose to ignore her, so she changed the door lock code on me to, get this, 12Password34. I mean, I know my door codes were not easy, but that password is in our BASIC security training for everyone under the list of ‘Passwords you shouldn’t use’. It’s like the third paragraph in. Needless to say I got the code in a few seconds and got in to find her with her ‘boyfriend’ in a compromising position. I chose to ignore it, get my shower, get changed and get out. I mean, when that kind of stuff happens between you and me, we laugh about it. With her, it feels deliberately disrespectful.”

Ashlyn waves a dismissive hand, “Whatever, she’s not my problem. I reported the security issue and my patch/upgrade plan. Lieutenant Abrams is looking it over, I’m not sure how she feels about it though. I think she’s conflicted about me now, since you left I’ve put more focus on my work and spent less time on social activity and I don’t think she actually realized how focused I am when I actually get into my work stride. I’ve also started working with Doctor Zarath, he was surprised by my determination and attention to details that he tends to overlook.”

Ashlyn takes a drink of water and smiles, “Have fun with it, when you can see how they are visualizing things, it should be easier to play with the kids and keep them engaged. You would make an awesome teacher, or a parent, but I’ll not press that one on you yet. You’ll have to send me pictures of your new garden when you get a chance. On a positive note, the full Trenton Park opens next week, I’m only sorry you didn’t get to see it. I’ll send you a parkour video on opening day. Till next time, all my love.”

Fayth letter 4
Sharah has taken her PaDD and gone to the arboretum. “So here it is, well one of them,” she turns the camera taking it in. “This place is really big. I haven’t even really seen all of it yet. Right now we have a large bed that needs to be pulled up and prepared for new plants, so I’m letting the kids play there. They can climb and run and rip it up to their heart’s content. It also keeps them away from the plants that are dangerous.”

“I’m glad Abrams is shocked. She underestimated you. Good for you. Your mind is brilliant Ashlyn. Keep it a secret but don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. And honestly I can say I miss the conference. It was loud, crazy and chaotic that very first time we met, but it makes more sense than the other stuff I hear. And some of the stuff you come up with is pretty funny.”

“I wish I was there to see Trenton park open. Oh hey! You could send me the file. Compressed, but Ark Angel as the room. We have holosuites! It would fit no problem. Or at least the beginning levels. There is no program or course here, and I’m getting out of shape. All those before and after photos will be for nothing. Seriously though, I actually miss doing parkour. Do you think you could send me the beginner’s levels? Or an older version, like the one from Challenger? I need something to do. I think I’m spending too much time with the plants. I’m coming back every night with dirt up to my elbows.” She laughs, “And Mok’bara is great, but I’m starting to understand what you mean by pent up energy.”

Trenton Letter 4
Trenton was busy this time around so there wasn’t much of a letter, however the file size was enormous because it contained the Trenton Park program and system requirements to allow for the more than 10 foot drops without hurting people. “Make sure you don’t fall out of practice!”

Fayth letter 5
“Okay that’s huge, but not bigger than the allowed program, as long as it’s marked for everyone. So I may have to write a safety review on it to warn people. But I can’t wait. I have a feeling I’m going to be very out practice. But hopefully it’s like riding a bike, which I also don’t know how to do. But, things are going pretty good here. I had bacon on my grilled cheese last night. It’s still not my favorite but it was late and I missed lunch. What did Abrams think about your analysis?”

Trenton Letter 5
The letter came later than the previous ones, when the image came up Ashlyn was in a holodeck with no active program. She looked like she hadn’t slept the last couple of days with heavy dark circles under her eyes. “So I had an episode, I just lost it on everyone, too irritable, too angry. Had to visit the counselor, broke into her office, slept on her couch. Turns out I may have been too attached to you and you leaving brought up all the demons involved with my family. I have to deal with them now, the counselor is helping between chastising me for breaking into her office…and her room…and a few other places I wasn’t supposed to be in.”

Ashlyn sighs and curls into the corner she is sitting in. “I messed up, I let too much get to me and didn’t talk to people about it because I didn’t know how. I had gotten used to you already being there when I should have been seeking out more help. Abrams is giving me some time off to sort out my head, the counselor is trying to show me something more meditative and less destructive. I’ve been banned from running Trenton Park for the time being. Too confrontational, too competitive. I miss you Sharah, probably more than I should, I may have to break comms for a while, depends on what the counselor decides.”

Ashlyn wipes her face and sighs, “Turns out Ensign Kein is the daughter of some Admiral and had that expunged from her record so others wouldn’t treat her differently. Doesn’t help when she goes crying to daddy when I break her nose for trying to take my phaser. That was a ton of dramatic posturing and political bull that Abrams was kind enough to help me through. Captain isn’t fond of me though, didn’t like the unannounced visit from the higher up because a Security Officer got violent with another Officer. I have to go, I hope you’re doing well. All my love, well most of it, you get it.”

Fayth letter 6
Sharah watched the video and sat for a long time. But then coming around she sent off a very quick message to Ashlyn, before the counselor decided to cut off Ashlyn’s communication. There was a part of Sharah that was upset, because Ashlyn’s behavior just proved the counselor’s position that cadets that served together shouldn’t be kept together on their first ensign tour, and it chaffed that the counselor might have been right. But that wasn’t the point. She took a deep breath looking for some calm. It wouldn’t help Ashlyn for her to be upset. “Hey Ashlyn. You know I love you. You’re family now, no matter what. I know I’m gone, but I’ll always be here. I know it probably feels like I abandoned you, and I’m so sorry for that. I would argue that it wasn’t just our friendship. I know the counselor probably thinks that, but your new room mate is…well the stress of that probably didn’t help. And what idiot takes a phaser from a security officer? I mean really, that was stupidity. And I hate over inflated important people. I understand if the counselor feels like you shouldn’t talk to me. But when you are allowed, let me know you’re okay, please. I love you, Ashlyn, you’re my best friend. You always will be.” Sharah wanted to ask Ashlyn to be the maid of honor at her wedding, but she figured this wasn’t the time to ask. “Be safe.”

Sharah didn’t receive any letters for a long time. The guilt was heavy and she wasn’t sure who to talk about it to. She knew Joseph would listen, but he wasn’t there and venting to the computer screen wasn’t going to help her. She needed to address the issues. The fact that Sharah’s friendship was considered the reason Ashlyn was in trouble, only confirmed fears that Sharah had always had, about herself and her gift. She needed to address this in a responsible manner. She would talk to Joseph about it, but first she was going to find the CNS. Only to find out he’d transferred off the ship.

En Fayth, Science - Botanist, USS Ark Angel
En Trenton, Security, USS Europa

Just as Sharah was finding out the counselor had transferred off the ship by the junior counseling staff. She got ran into by the Captain’s daughter Tel’eck who while not running had her head deep into something on a PADD she was reading. Thankfully she didn’t fall over from the impact. “..Oh I’m um…I’m sorry ma’am!” Tel’eck said.

Drudoc who wasn’t far behind seeing the impact came up. “..Indeed Ensign, apologies.” She said then looked to Tel’eck. “..how many times do I need to remind you Tel’eck not to keep aware of where you’re going? Especially in the busier corridors like on this deck?” She said gently but firmly to her daughter.

”..Sorry Mom..” Tel’eck replied.

Sighing Drudoc shooed her daughter to go on ahead. “..Again sorry about that Ensign. I swear that girl has her head in the clouds more and more lately. The price of growing up I suppose.” she mused.

Drudoc Andone CO