Posted Dec. 1, 2021, 7:57 p.m. by Ensign Kaia (Engineering Officer) (Riley W)
Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Lounge - Broken Promises
Posted by Ensign Kaia (Engineering Officer) in Lounge - Broken Promises
Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Lounge - Broken Promises
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Kaia sat in the lounge, staring quietly at the display on her U.R.I. with a look of dejection on her face. A large mug of something frothy and vaguely smelling like alcohol sat, untouched, on the table beside her. “You promised you’d try to get a transfer,” she sighed, speaking in a quiet, purring language that the Universal Translator refused to translate.=^=I know, but this opportunity came up and I really couldn’t refuse it. I’m sure you’ll understand, I just had to pursue… other things.=^= The chirps and purrs of the same soft language came back through the device. Kaia put her head down on the table, giving a quiet grunt that almost anyone could interpret as frustration.
“I know, Vito. I suppose I was just really excited to have someone from home join me on the Manhattan,” she replied, sitting up straight. “I’m allowed to be upset, even if I understand your reasoning.“
=^=I know, I know. I haven’t been alone aboard a Federation Ship. I don’t know what it feels like to be isolated.=^= Vito replied, making Kaia sit up slightly. She was still for several minutes, then finally let out a long sigh.
“I’m going to go. I’ll… talk to you later, I guess.” She pressed on the holographic screen, and it blipped away, not even giving her friend time to respond.
Kaia, Eng
“I’ve seen that look before, Ensign.” came a recognizable voice from behind her. Captain Cochrane stepped around her and into view, giving her a half-smile. “And while the language is unfamiliar, the reaction is pretty standard throughout the galaxy. Bad news, I take it?” and he gestured to the seat opposite her, asking with a look if it was okay to be seated.
Cochrane, CO
Kaia looked at the Captain for a few long moments, then shrugged and inclined her head slightly to give him permission. “The Manhattan is a lovely vessel with an incredible crew, but it’s a hard ship to be on when you’re alone. Everything is so empty, and we’re so far away from home.”
She let out a long sigh, then sat up and interlaced her fingers, focusing on that. “Someone from home was going to try to apply for a position on the Manhattan or the station we dock at. But a better opportunity presented itself and she decided to pursue it. I was looking forward to having someone I could… Share heart and mind,” she explained.
Kaia, Eng
Cochrane regarded the diminutive Engineer for a moment and then said “Ensign, there are over a thousand individuals on this ship. And many are the only one of their kind here. So why do you feel alone? I mean, I can understand the kind of ‘disconnected’ feeling with being the only one of your species in a place… I’ve been in that situation myself. But alone? Why do you feel that way?” His words were soft and encouraging, not critical. And there was a strong sense of compassion in his tone.
Cochrane, CO
Kaia was quiet for several moments before she came up with the right words. Apparently she hadn’t explained to the Captain something she’d mentioned to several other beings. Then again conversations with the Captain were rare. “My, um, my species is empathic. We grow up and live our lives with other people’s emotions as an inherent part of our perception of everything. A song that lives in every person, and you can hear that song just by being near them. But for some reason, only people from Galdor show up on that sense. It’s like… living your whole life being able to hear, then suddenly becoming deaf. I don’t know how else to explain it. I figured I’d be able to adjust, but it’s really hard some days,” she explained.
Kaia, Engineer
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