**** Shuttlebay: U.S.S Trident

While the other three passengers were saying their goodbyes and the pilot was busy loading up he dumped his bag containing all his worldly possessions in the his seat. To a passing observer the ratty bag looked mostly empty and more like it had been abandoned than contained anything of value. It’s value was mostly sentimental. It had travelled across the galexy with Erikk as a teenager as he had fled his home planet. Back then all it had contained had been a second pair of trousers and a ragdoll. It had made it across the galexy as he worked his way into Star-Fleet, onto his first ship and now soon to be his first Department Head role. It had come as far as Erikk and being one of the only two things he had remaining from his home (he out grew the pants years ago), he wouldn’t part with it until it was thread in his hands.

A loud thump behind him made him flinch. He turned around, ready to look for danger and realised it was just the pilot loading crates onto the back of the Shuttlecraft. It was an old habit, one he wasn’t even sure he could dispel anymore. Some things just couldn’t be changed. He reached down and unzipped the outer pocket of his bag, reaching in he pulled out the ragdoll and shoved it in his pocket before strolling off the shuttle. He stood to the side, and watched the pilot for a moment before walking over to the pile of what he assumed was cargo and lifted one up following the pilot to the back of the shuttle and heafted it on next to the others. The pilot stopped, “Thanks, for the hand.” Erikk merely nodded in reply and picked up the next piece of cargo.

“Already said your goodbyes, huh?” The pilot asked inquisitvely, hoping to make conversation now that he had somebody to talk to. When Erikk barely acknowledged the question he tried again… “So where are you headed? Risa… a Starbase…?”
“Olympic,” Erikk grunted out lifting another piece of cargo on board.
“She’s a good ship. My cousins brother-in-laws mothers sisters nephews friends uncle works on that ship. Says shes as good as she gets. Which department are you in? Science or Medical?”
“Science,”
“Ahh that’s a shame, he’s in Medical. Maybe you two could be friends.”

Erikk glanced at the other man, but otherwise didn’t respond. “Is this everything?” he asked after the silence had streched between them for a few minutes. The pilot looked over, “Oh, um, yeah that’s everything.” He turned and squinted at Erikk who had already begun to move away. “You’re not much of one for talking are you?” he asked “One of those strong sient types,” he apprised Erikk, “You must be. My 3rd wife was like that. She prefered to observe people rather than talk to them. Said something about using it to see their more honset selves or something of the sort…”

As the pilot went on about his 3rd wife. Erikk turn and walked away, seemingly unaware that the pilot seemed to think that they were in the middle of a conversation of sorts. Not that the pilot really seemed to mind as he followed Erikk onto the shuttle still nattering away.

**** Shuttlebay: U.S.S Olympic

“So I said to her that she must be out of her mind, trying to swim around under a layer of ice… so she said to me, she said… and then the ice cracked and it… well you should have seen the look on her husbands face… we tried to explain it but he had one of those nasty tempers you know… so I married her, thought it might make her feel better…”

Erikk yawned only half listening to the story of the pilots ex-wife number 3 or 2 or 5 or whatever it was. He hadn’t really meant to switch off but the man had so many wives and ex-wives or something that he’d got lost half way through. Since the information wasn’t valuable he’d simply let the words wash over him. The pilot hadn’t seemed to mind that Erikk had mostly stopped listening. He kept prattling on as if Erikk was hanging onto his every last word. He’d paused long enough to run through docking procedures then started up with this latest story about this wife. Whichever number she was.

The shuttle doors opened and the ramp decended onto the inside of the Olympic. Erikk stood up, grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He paused by the pilots seat, “What is your friends name? Shall I pass on a message to him for you,”
“Huh?” The pilot blinked, “Oh, it’s Dav’ash, but he’s more of an aquaintance.”
Erikk nodded and turned to go.
“Hey, Lieutenant?”
Erikk paused.
“Thanks for listening, you’re a very good listener. Have you ever thought of being a Counselor?”

Erikk snorted, amused at the thought of being a Counselor. He might be good at listening but he wasn’t exactly what most people termed a ‘peoples person’. With that thought in mind he stepped off of the Shuttle and onto the Olympic.

Lt. (j.g) Mendez, CSO