[snip]

”..Life is filled with experiences good and bad, Ensign. They each make us stronger in one form or another if you ask me.” She said. Taking up the now empty glasses Drudoc reprocessed them, and ordered each of them a small wafer of chocolate and ice cream on a small plate. Returning it and offering it she added, “..Don’t let Tel’eck know you had this, house rules are she aint allowed dessert until her homework and room is cleaned up and something tells me she isn’t up to finishing the second tonight..” She said conspiratorially.

Sharah grinned and whispered, “Dessert is a serious thing. I won’t tell.”

Drudoc grinned giving a slight wink of her right eye, “..Good I’d hate to have to throw you in a holding cell for breaking security..” she said with a chuckle at her possibly poor attempt at a joke.

Unknown to either of the two and unheard by either through the closed off room Tel’eck sneezed a bit rubbing her nose. “..Uff stupid allergies..” She said wrinkling her nose and brow.

Back in the main room Drudoc took her seat again then. “..As for Ensign Sueder, his problems are....difficult. The personal details are his to relate but most of the orders being given by the government is only for him to return or remain in exile. While their wording should apply to all Betazoids almost all are taking it for what it really is as far as I’m aware.” She explained.

Sharah listened thoughtfully as she savored the desert. Ice cream and chocolate. The captain obviously knew about the Betazoid predilection for chocolate.

Taking a bite of her dessert Drudoc swallowed it then continued wiping her mouth. “..Unfortunately ever since the Hobus event racked the Alpha and Beta Quadrant, as well as the ban on Synths since the mid 2380s with their attack on Utopia Planitia and Mars it has......been difficult time for everyone around known space in some form. People are scared in many ways, and fear breeds strange bedfellows and actions that might normally be mediated in other forms.” Drudoc explained her thoughts.

“I actually contacted my brother. He’s the CoS on outpost 53. He said there is a small group among the government who is advocating for a ‘pureist’ mindset. To stop the blood from being thinned out. Because of the Dominion occupation, so many died. He said this group is feeding on people’s fears that our people will die out and nothing be left. I guess I can empathize, a little, with them. He said it’s a small handful of the ruling houses. What the ruling houses have forgotten though, is that they are not the only people on Betazed with strong gifts. He said they don’t have a strong standing because they are advocating a strong martial presence, and that goes against everything our culture believes. We were supposed to take our next shore leave on Betazed. But our plans may need to change.”

”..I’m sorry to hear that then. I admit I am not fully up on the full events concerning Betazed. Such is the failing of reaching the rank and positions I have. Your time grows smaller and smaller with more and more responsibilities.” Giving a wry chuckle to soften the mood then she added. “..It doesn’t help that Command keeps reassigning my staff and XOs like a removaling door without replacements for me.”

Taking another bite then swallowing Drudoc seemed to shift the conversation some. “..Tell me Ensign how do you feel the events of your life have shaped you? Not just in a negative sense but also positive?” She queried.

Drudoc Andone CO

This was a topic Sharah was familiar with, and oddly enough something she and Joseph had discussed in depth on their last leave. “Adversity. Plane and simple, adversity. It’s made me stronger. Nothing is ever easy for me, but I feel like that has made me more determined and more able to recognize the small and large accomplishments. I’m very self reliant. Growing up, after awhile it was very hard to make friends. Even on a telepathic world. The adults feared me, because I was liable to repeat anything I heard, because as a child I didn’t understand discretion. The children were often angry with me because I told secrets and got them in trouble. So I learned to work independently. I learned to appreciate true friendship and meaningful connections. I learned the value of meaningful relationships that take time to form and solidify. I need a lot of down time so I can cope with the input during on duty hours. It makes those meaningful connections more precious to me. I tend to be directly blunt because I know when others are lying to me, or more importantly to themselves. And it made me an excellent doctor, at first. Feeling the pain of those you are helping, tends to do that,” she says light heartedly, making a serious joke at herself. “It has given me the ability to be single minded in whatever I do, especially in my research.”

”..Single mindedness can be a good thing, but don’t let it blind you from other avenues of approach or study..” Drudoc suggested. “..But can you give me an example?”

She pauses taking a bite. “For example, when I was 10 I met my adopted uncle. He was a botanist on the USS Galileo. He taught me all about plants, but that was the first time I knew that plants were used to make medicine. Even then, at 10, I was single minded. I began to research plants that might help me, and others like me. That research grew into the program that I’ve created now.”

En Fayth, Science

”..I see, I remember in 2281 or so. My mother at the time was a Commander on a Romulan Te’chet class support warbird, the Falchan’s Path as I recall. She took me on a tour of the ship’s main repair bay for the shuttle’s at the time. Heh..” Drudoc smiled softly at the obviously fond memory. “..I recall she got distracted by one of the sub-lieutenant engineers talking to her and I ended up sneaking off to investigate a plasma feed I saw blinking. I ended up finding the complex flow algorithms so intricate and beautiful like a work of art in motion. Sadly those types of flow and power ebbs no longer exist, the change over soon after from matter/antimatter drives to primitive singularity cores in the 2290s saw that form of ‘art’ go out of style. The Federation’s warp drive patterns are.....sadly not quite the same, though they too have their own form of beauty I found.” She explained.

Drudoc Andone CO