Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in Side sim: The Report Dilemma

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in Side sim: The Report Dilemma

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in Side sim: The Report Dilemma
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
“Whether it would be safe for our skin or eyes is more based on radiation, brightness of the sun, the gasses in the air just decide how well we breathe. It would most certainly be safer to stick to EVA suits,” Roman said thoughtfully. “I dunno, that’s just it,” His ‘posh’ accent had slipped slightly into something a little more casual, which was quite rare for him. “We’ve never discovered anything like it, so I can’t even begin to guess what they’d be like, or how their bodies worked. If you ask me, it’s a life form so long as it has the ability to move on its own, shows some kind of thought or instinct.” The idea of plants that didn’t live on oxygen was also interesting, they likely wouldn’t be anything like earth plants.

~ Roman

Rand noticed the slight change in his accent and grinned. It made him sound relaxed and comfortable. She doubted it was her but she was glad he could be that way with her. “Don’t life forms have ta also reproduce and be organic?” Then she paused and looked confused but curious, “So, then, would tha’ mean plants are no living because they don’t move on their own? Do they have instinct?” She was curious, not challenging, and excited about the conversation, so her accent was starting to show again.

Yeoman Rand

“Reproduction is a broad thing, so long as they create more of themselves in some way or another, it counts. They have to be born, grow, and then eventually die, too. As for being organic, I can’t imagine all life works the same way as what we’re familiar with in our own solar system, or even the entire galaxy.” Roman tipped his head at her second question. “Well, they do move. Not in the same way animals do, but they do. They turn their leaves to face the sun, don’t they?” Much of the conversation was highly hypothetical, there was no proof anything like Roman hoped was out there, existed. But he couldn’t help but imagine first contact with something completely unlike anything humanity had encountered so far. He wasn’t even sure if they could or how they would, communicate with it.

~ Roman

“I hadn’t thought about it like that. Or how the leaves will turn upside down when it’s going to rain after a drought to catch the extra water?” Her thoughts were oddly similar to his. “We use math as a universal language. Like every species will conduct mathematics the same, but what if their math developed in a totally different way?”

Roman nodded again. “Mathematics are a universal constant, it’s like the language of the universe. But that doesn’t mean everyone we meet will express it the same way.”

As the conversation slowed with the slowing flood of hypotheticals Rand found she wasn’t sure what to ask or say next. Her last question had upset him, nd she wanted him to feel he could talk to her, but she didn’t want him to feel like she was pushing him. That would make her feel aweful if she made him feel that way.

Yeoman Rand

The conversation slowed again, and Roman found himself unsure what else to say. He’d all but forgotten about her last upsetting question, and if he knew she was avoiding asking things because it made him upset, he’d feel bad about it. He wouldn’t want her to feel like she couldn’t ask him anything, though he knew there were a lot of questions he couldn’t or wouldn’t answer, just because of how intertwined his life had been with Jay’s, a death he’d never really gotten over. And he still hadn’t told her much of anything about his family, either. “What about you? What made you want to be a yeoman?” He asked at last.

~ Roman

Could she tell him? Yes. Would she was another question. “I saw a Star Fleet officer once when I was 18. She was with another officer, but everyone seemed to forget she was there, but she was everywhere. It wasn’t just meals and coffee; I watched her on her communicator, and her PaDD, and she seemed to know what exactly had to be done all the time and the other officer seemed to be the only one who noticed all the stuff she was doing. She even knew how to find the nurses and doctors and what to ask them.”

She tucked both her hands into her lap. She was upset and sad. She hated thinking about that time and being in the hospital. Her voice was suddenly thick with her accent. “Randy convinced her ta talk ta me. It seemed like a godsend, ta be useful and go unnoticed. I never wanted ta be in Star Fleet afore that.”

Yeoman Rand

Roman felt bad for asking. He could tell she was upset, and he wasn’t sure what the appropriate response was. Finally he decided on, “I’m glad you found something that works for you, that you’re happy doing.” At least he was pretty sure she liked her job. She seemed to. “And your work is appreciated, by me at least. And it was by Carmichael.” He wouldn’t know about Rogers yet. But he assumed she liked Rand.

~ Roman

“I enjoy it. I’m good at it. I mean I won’t say I enjoy writing reports and proofing them daily, but the content of them is fascinating, if you can get past the tediousness of the headings and red tape details. At the Academy I did my senior year internship with Admiral Zuweki. I got to experience a lot of new cultures and learned a lot just by listening. On K5, while I was waiting for Sentinel to arrive, I got to hear about all the fleet movements and encounters first hand from Cpt Jensson. I even got to go with him to tour one of the newest ships when it docked. And every once in awhile I get to see some of those stars we stare up at, at night. And I get to be useful and do my share, especially since no one notices.” She did enjoy what she did, but she wasn’t passionate about it like she was acting and performing, but at least she wasn’t hiding at home. “I think Carmichael was just glad when I wasn’t around. I heard him in the Galley one night. I had already been there, working late, and Carmichael was complaining to another officer that he couldn’t escape me and that I never left him alone, that I probably had a tracker on him.” She shrugged but it had bothered her. One of her biggest responsibilities as a Captain’s yeoman was the captain’s well being and that meant ensuring off duty time and sleep and eating well. It has bothered her a great deal to hear him make such comments and not directly address them with her, and so she was left guessing and floundering on what he expected of her.

Yeoman Rand

Roman frowned. “You were only doing your job. He shouldn’t have said such things, nor should the captain of a starship be engaging in idle gossip.” To him, that sort of gossip was for ensigns, and even then, if he heard it, he put a stop to it. No one wanted to be talked about. It did sound like she liked what she did but it didn’t seem like it was her first choice, especially after she said she hadn’t even cared for Starfleet until she was eighteen. So he asked, “What would you have done had you not joined Starfleet?”

~ Roman