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Post Sim - Rest and Recuperation (Open to Anyone)

Posted May 17, 2022, 1:32 p.m. by Lieutenant Commander Daggum Hammor (Chief Operations Officer) (James Sinclair)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Janna Kingston (Counsellor) in Post Sim - Rest and Recuperation (Open to Anyone)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Daggum Hammor (Chief Operations Officer) in Post Sim - Rest and Recuperation (Open to Anyone)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Janna Kingston (Counsellor) in Post Sim - Rest and Recuperation (Open to Anyone)
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Janna sipped on her drink, fingers feeling the smoothness of the glass and she let that tangible sensation settle her mind a bit before she spoke. She had told Orvos this story not long after she came had been assigned to the Athena, but it lay the foundation for future things. “What’s on my mind begins with a story…”

“So, when I was nine, I decided that I was going to be a marine biologist. I told my mothers this and they just gave me a weird look and Eliza said, ‘Kallen, dear, I think that’s lovely, but you’re terrified of water. You… you do realize that marine biologists study life in the ocean, yes?’ I just looked at her and gave a nod.

“Now, I grew up on Alpha Eridani Two, and lived in Heliopolos, which was a port city, so there was plenty of water to be had. But here I was, terrified to even walk along the boardwalks. But what I hadn’t told my moms was that had seen some sort of educational video on Pacifica and was so enthralled that I decided I wanted to live there. Well, it’s a water world, and I knew that I’d have to be around water a lot, so was determined to figure out someway around it.

“Fast forward three months later and my moms had figured I’d forgotten or changed my mind. But in reality, I had taken my plan to heart and was in the midst of building what I thought was an ingenious solution to the problem. One day after school, I went for a walk, as I was allowed to do, and went down to a small park on the water, not to far from a boat launch. Tucked behind some bushes were sections of wood tied together. I hauled them out and tied them together and dragged it centimetre by difficult centimetre down to the boat launch, set it in the water and hopped on. I was still terrified, but I figured if I could not touch the water, then I could still study the creatures beneath it… or so my nine year old self was convinced.” Janna grinned and chuckled slightly. “The gist of the story is that I am a great problem solver at times, but a terrible engineer.

“My raft wasn’t exactly water tight, nor were my knots tight enough, so I started taking on water almost immediately. Fortunately, a nearby fisherman saw what I was doing and quickly came to the rescue, since I should add that I didn’t know how to swim. Afterwards, I avoided the shore for a good three months, but then decided that that was silly. I had clearly survived and there was no point in fearing something I’d tackled head first… literally. So, I started to just walk along the beach barefoot. A couple weeks later would wade up to my knees. But then a fairly strong wave knocked me in the water and I was sitting in it up to my chin. I got splashed in the face and sucked in a bit of bit water, but I felt no fear. After that I asked my mothers for swimming lessons and I learned to swim.”

Janna leaned in towards Daggum slightly. “I don’t fear water anymore, but instead I learned to be afraid of everything else. A bump, a fall, a cut. It would just depend on variable if it was a nuisance due to my aprahaemophilia, or life threatening. When they told us at that resort that we could have whatever our hearts desired, I knew without a doubt I wanted to do something that was considered risky for me and not have it be a terrible thing. To feel alive for the first time in a very long time. I deal with my fear and I don’t let it control me per say, but just one day of my life I wanted to throw caution to wind and not be afraid.” It hurt, that moment on the parasailing boat, when she realized that she had come so close and still not managed it. The holodeck would never be the same. She loved her life, the career she had built, the home she had found here on the Athena, but there still was always this one small thing missing and to have come so close and have it slip through her fingers had stung deeply.

~Janna Kingston, CNS

Daggum listened, his eyes never leaving hers. When she fell silent, he could see the hurt and regret on her face. He leaned back slowly, favoring his arm, and winced slightly. “So let me ask you this… what do you regret the most about Namoria? Not going parasailing… which is what I think you are talking about, but correct me if I’m wrong… or not going parasailing ever? Are you upset by what happened there… or is what happened there a reminder that you haven’t taken that risk before?”

Daggum, Ops

She took her time figuring out how to respond, downing a good portion of her drink while she did so. “Not just haven’t, but can’t. Even under the most ideal of circumstances, it’s false safety, like the holodeck, or like on a fantasy planet where it’s all too good to be true. Because I think you and I are both realists enough to know that if sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And normally I can accept the constraints on my life, but because of other things I’m… chaffing at those constraints right now, Daggum. And it’s hard.”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

Daggum nodded and took a drink. “So it seems. So… take the constraints off, Janna. Its a big galaxy… you have everything you need to go do something reckless and dangerous.. Go take a risk… because I’ve been where you are. It doesn’t go away, that itch. You gotta scratch it or it will drive you crazy.”

Daggum

Janna laughed loudly, tipping her head back slightly. She was still smiling even as she sighed. “You’re funny, Daggum. How do you supposed I would take those constraints off? I can’t change what my body will do if injured. Minor injuries are one thing, but more serious stuff can kill me. All it takes is for me to be a tiny bit too far from medical help or for them to be delayed.”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

Daggum shrugged and then winced slightly. “That’s the risk, though. And no, you can’t change what your body will do if you get hurt. But the itch isn’t about not getting hurt, is it? It’s about not being safe. And if you aren’t safe, you are on the edge. And think about it like this… serious stuff can kill anyone, not just you. And when it’s time to go, it’s time. Death is inevitable, Janna. The trick is to make it there with as few regrets as you can.”

Daggum


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