To reason why

Posted on Mon Jun 6th, 2011 @ 2:15pm by Lieutenant Commander Aral Aix

Mission: Shore Leave 2; Picking Up the Pieces
Location: Bridge, USS Arizona
Timeline: Following

Aix had taken three things away from his first meeting with the Commodore: (a) he was to provide some sort of diversion on an away mission, (b) he might be lucky to escape this away mission with his dignity and (c) the old man was absolutely stark raving mad. Despite what Aral had written off as the Commodore's sense of humour, he had decided he almost liked him.

=Aix's Quarters, Starfleet Academy, Earth=
=2385=

Aral stirred uncomfortably in his seat. Although she was only on a view screen he struggled to meet her eyes. Had he been able to, he would have noticed she was also looking anywhere else. They had been sitting in silence either end of a commlink that stretched the galaxy for ten minutes. She broke the silence.

"It's been a long time Aral... far too long." Her voice was achingly familiar as was her pattern of speech; their marriage was new. The two women he had trusted, if not loved, most in the galaxy had been merged into this new woman. His elder sister now possessed the memories of the therapist who had nursed him through his traumatic joining. "Is there a reason you called, or is this just a social call." Aix could feel Dr Pela's professional assertiveness through his sister's voice.

He took a deep breath and looked up, meeting her gaze. "There's something I need to tell you Ralara." The woman he was talking to was not his sister, she looked like his sister but behind the eyes there existed a different woman. She waited patiently for him to continue, "I have applied for Delta Quadrant duty."

If it was now her turn to be lost for words, it was quickly over. "You're either mad or want to get yourself killed." Aral smiled, for the first time since her joining she felt like the sister he had known.

"I don't know if you remember but you've testified to the opposite numerous times."

She sighed. "I'll not try to talk you out of it but I want to know why." Her tone was insistent, authoritative.

Aral examined Ralara's face closely, he didn't appreciate her tone. "You lost the right to ask that question eight years ago... but I will tell you. I think you will be able to understand." She nodded. "It's about living Ralara, being the man I want to be."

"Could you be the man you want to be in this quadrant?"

Aral shook his head. "Each past host has been amazing. They were all geniuses by some measure. I was just some stupid teenager that..." he didn't know how to finish his sentence. "I want to be remembered."

=Shuttle bay, USS Arizona=
=Present Timeline=

Aix approached the shuttlebay carrying a small grey case that previously housed a med kit. It contained a scientific tricorder, spare power pack and a few carefully selected chemicals from the laboratory. The technician had been rather surprised to find a Lieutenant Commander pilfering supplies like a thief, a few introductions had been hastily made with the science team. After a year at the Academy there was something wonderful about being in space again.