Issac carefully surveyed his quarters. Checking the chrono on his wrist, he seemed to be ‘on time,’ though he had no real schedule beyond some vague estimations he had made. In preparation for being on shore leave for the next few months, he’d taken the opportunity to deep-clean and reorganize his quarters. Truthfully, it was something he’d intended to do for a while, but there always seemed to be something that jumped ahead in his list of priorities.

Having satisfied himself with his quarters, he moved his gaze to a duffel bag on his bed, containing several sets of civilian clothes and other necessities. He’d already run through its inventory a few times now, double and triple-checking that he had what he thought he might need – it was funny, in a way. He’d grown up with little to no access to replicators, and considered himself to be quite self-reliant. Seemed over the past few years he had been in StarFleet, he’d unknowingly gotten used to their presence; more so than he would have guessed.

He’d taken advantage of that the previous day; generating some new clothes – sturdy boots, some plain black jeans, and a few patterned button-up shirts. A well-worn (not replicated) ball cap and a leather jacket completed his outfit. He confirmed that his commbadge was in his pocket (a request by the CO, “Just in case”) before gathering his things, and stepped into the corridor.

As he walked through the hallways of the Dresden, nodding at his fellow crew as he passed, he considered what his plans were for the next while. One of his sisters, Naida, actually lived just outside of San Francisco, and had eagerly volunteered to pick him up from the port. He looked forward to seeing her – it’d been…. Four, Five? Years, give or take. Before he’d gotten into the academy, at least. Issac wasn’t the best at keeping in touch; every few months he’d make some calls and send a few emails; it was more common for his family to reach out to him instead. When he’d gotten the news of the impending shore leave, he’d shared it with both Naida and his mother; and the both promptly demanded that he stay at their homes for the duration. He’d promptly declined, though swiftly compromised and agreed to spend at least a week with both of them.

After a few years now of living aboard ships, Issac had found a sudden desire to spend some time away from others; while he enjoyed living aboard the Dresden, he never felt that he was able to have any true privacy or isolation. It was something he had quickly adjusted to, but still missed – and the extended shore leave was the perfect opportunity to ‘catch up’ on time away from the hectic life of a StarFleet Officer. Aside from visiting family, he had plans to spend most of his time in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina; an old friend had a fair amount of property in the area, and gladly agreed to gave Issac free access to it in exchange for some machine work he needed done.

Issac walked through the terminal, following signs for ‘pickup’ and (mostly successfully) trying to avoid tripping over any small children running around the area. As he approached the exit, his eyes searched the area for any familiar faces; a frown appeared as his search lengthened. I’s pretty sure Naida said she was here already… So where in the hell is she at?

“Hey, stranger.” The unexpected voice from behind Issac startled him, and he spun quickly around, finding his sister standing there with a smirk on her face. “Ya walked right on past me, head in the clouds. Long time no see, bro.”

An uncharacteristically large grin split Issac’s face, and he immediately leaned over to give his shorter sister a hug. “You hungry?” she asked. “I could eat, but I ain’t picky.” “You never were, so glad to hear that hadn’t changed. I’ve got some salmon and some vegetables at home that need eating, so unless you start complaining that’s dinner for ya!”

“Ha! I see how it is, taking the cheap way out!” If the laugh wasn’t enough of a clue, the twinkle in Issac’s eye confirmed the teasing joke. They were both still chuckling as they got into the car, Naida smoothly piloting it back towards her home.

Issac Forgrave