Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Vanessa Slade (CNS) in Slade Quarters - Tuesday night is movie night

Posted by Lieutenant Tom Jarvis (Internal Security) in Slade Quarters - Tuesday night is movie night

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Vanessa Slade (CNS) in Slade Quarters - Tuesday night is movie night
Posted by… suppressed (18) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Vanessa moved around her quarters gathering up the piles of clothes and shoes she had scattered about thanking Starfleet again that senior staff had two rooms and not just one large studio to live for quarters. It was a misnomer that women were cleaner than men. They were just as sloppy but tended to use candles and room deodorizers to make the place smell better than men’s quarters. Life was hectic on a Starship and one did not have time to always put things away. Without a roommate also to complain about, things tended to fall where they were tossed.

The one thing that she was still getting used to was not having to plan for food. Back in Boston, Slade would never have replicated a pizza or popcorn. She would have ordered Nick’s and been waiting for the delivery guy. Now that the room was clean enough for Tom to sit down, Vanessa had a few minutes to contemplate the evening. She had no idea why the man was coming over except for her notes and an email from Tom indicating he was arriving to watch a movie and hang out on Tuesday at 7 pm. It was only now that Vanessa began to fully understand the implications of Tom’s condition. She wondered what the man would say about the posters she had plastered on each deck and in each turbo with his name on it. The message on it was simple. My name is Tom. You might not remember me but I do know you so say hello. Over the wording was his official image taken by Starfleet so that people could recognize the face. This was not going to make anyone remember prior conversations or interactions with Tom. All it would do was open up possible conversations and make interactions less awkward because people would see his face when he wasn’t around and help to establish his presence. In some ways, it reminded Vanessa of the old-fashioned kid on a milk carton campaign but until she thought of a better option this was it.

Vanessa Slade CNS

Tom rang Vanessa’s chime promptly at 7 as was the plan. He had a hand full of papers with a nearly unrecognizable image of him on it, an image from his academy days. He was impressed that she found anything on him that wasn’t classified, but still, it presented a potential problem. Still, though this wasn’t an entirely new situation for him, it happened rarely enough that he was still nervous.

That’s a change isn’t it? Tom thought to himself, Usually you’re the one making other people nervous.

Tom waited patiently dressed in non descript casual clothing. Even in his off hours he maintained that average look of someone that could easily be lost in a crowd.

• Tom

Vanessa walked to the door opening it wearing a pair of PT sweats with the USS Genesis logo running down the leg and a sweatshirt that said Your Mom with Sigmund Freud’s signature below it. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail that bobbed and swayed when she walked. “Tom,” she said in a friendly tone but with a slightly hesitant smile as if she were caught off guard. The truth was Vanessa had read and studied the notes about tonight for the past several days. What was more unnerving was the fact her mom seemed to remember this was going to happen and Tom. Vanessa was not going to mention that her mom had asked about the handsome and friendly man that helped them out with Frankie and Johnny. The oddest part about this to Vanessa was not that she didn’t remember Tom. She knew that going in. It was that she did not remember the entire night rescuing the boys from a future at Walpole.

“Come in,” Vanessa made a sweeping gesture with her hand to the room. The interior of the room screamed female. There were comfy pillows and throw blankets everywhere. The room had the clean smell that most bachelor pads lacked coming from pretty smelling cleaning products, instead of whatever a guy had replicated, and a hidden atomizer probably tucked behind a piece of furniture. The walls were the most distinct with holographic stucco brick as an accent wall and images of what probably was her home back in Boston.

“I replicated a pizza. Plain pepperoni and extra cheese. If you want other toppings we can replicate them but who the hell really needs anything but pepperoni and cheese? Can I get you a beer or something to drink,” she asked moving to the small kitchen area. It was then she noticed the papers in his hands.

Vanessa Slade CNS

Tom took a moment to answer as he was a bit distracted. The casual look and the ponytail reminded Tom of a past attempt at a relationship that couldn’t survive his curse. Vanessa, in her current state of dress, looked almost exactly like that woman. A look of mild surprise and desire momentarily crossed his features.

She popped off the top of her beer on the edge of the counter and waited to hear what Tom wanted. He had stated beer or alcohol was not something he generally drank but Vanessa was not going to skip it.

“Peach infused water would be good.” Tom said snapping himself out of the moment and into the room, “I guess my pizza preference is more complicated but pepperoni is always a safe default.”

“Peach water,” Vanessa replied in a tone that would best be described as disbelief as she took a long slow sip of her drink. She studied him as if the man had just produced a shovel and asked her to bury the body. Setting her bottle down she replicated the drink and slid it over the small bar in the middle of the space. “Okay, I gotta say for the record…what is it with the crew. You all are like health nuts. Peach water…yogurt for breakfast, lemon tea, ” she rattled off the list of things everyone had asked for recently.

“Where is the bacon and beer and milkshakes,” she chuckled with a grin. “I am so not going to survive this boat trip or I am going to be the last one standing. You know if you eat a pound of dirt you live longer. I am pretty sure dirt is code for bacon by the way.”

Tom took the peach water taking a sip as Vanessa spoke then responded.

“I love bacon, it’s one of the things I so enjoy on pizza. I affectionately call it meat candy. As for the alcohol, intoxication intensifies my forget me field. Mild intoxication brings on the forget as soon as LOS is broken rather than three minutes later. Moderate intoxication adds forgetting everything during the time spent under the influence of my field. Severe intoxication can cause the forget effect to occur immediately. And if I pass out from intoxication it can cause an effect like an indiscriminate mind wipe bomb over a large area of effect regardless of line of sight. Also, the more intoxicated I get, the longer the effect hits for. Normally the last three hours lost to days or weeks, who knows what the burst effect would wipe.”

“So teetotaler you are,” she let out a small laugh. “Can’t have the crew running around in their underwear for three days and not remembering their names right. Calvin would freak out…or not because he would have no idea either what happened.”

She could see he was ready for a relaxed night of potential overindulgence. Though everything he was wearing was a neutral gray, it was still a t-shirt with a logo of a winged hand holding a sword around which was printed the words ‘Mobile Infantry: Service guarantees citizenship.’ and thin gray sweat pants with slip-on shoes.

“Great shirt by the way. Starfleet Troopers is a fabulous flick. Did you see the last one? Starship Troopers: Klendathu Kill. I found it okay but bringing back Dizzy as the Archnid Queen seemed like lazy writing. It turned a perfectly good action flick into a rip-off of Invasion of the Body snatchers. I do love me some Caster Deanvan.”

I actually haven’t seen that one. After the debacle that was Marauders, I thought the series was lost, even if it did actually bring in the power armor that was standard issue in the book at the end of that movie.”

“Whatcha got there Tom? You know this is strictly fat pants, pizza and a movie. No work.”

“I believe these are yours. Though I appreciate your efforts to spin me some good PR, I prefer to remain unrecognized whenever possible.” Tom said holding out her ‘wanted’ posters.

• Tom

“You are already are,” Vanessa pulled the pizza from the replicator and moved to the living space ignoring the poster’s Tom was holding. Sitting in a chair she pulled a piece of pizza free and sat down tucking her feet up under her. “I mean ten minutes after the movie tonight I am not going to remember you so you will be unrecognized by me. The poster is not going to change that but it will stop the rest of us from feeling crazy.” Taking a bite of the pizza, Vanessa pulled out her phone and personal comm and sent a text before tucking it down next to her in the chair.

Vanessa Slade CNS

“Well three minutes after I leave the last three hours you spend with me will fade away.” Tom said taking a slice and sitting on a chair(/) near by, “So my fine droog, what shall we vidie tonight?”

• Tom

“Galaxy Quest,” she smiled and activated the PaDD on the wall. She hoped Tom wasn’t expecting to actually sit back and watch the movie. Women notoriously talked through things: Movies, vehicle rides, church, in the background of calls, and even muttered under their breath when arguments did not go there way but to get the last word. For the first time in Tom’s existence, he might be wishing to have his memory wiped at the end of three hours. “It is about a bunch of paid actors that,” she said as her comm rang out.

Tom was about to tell her that he was familliar with the classic when the comm chirped.

Picking up her phone she tapped out a message and sighed with a slight smile on her face. Looking at Tom she rolled her eyes slightly. “My mom thinks I am at the Vulcan Movie Festival for the next eight hours. I told her it was a cultural thing. She just asked if I needed money for snacks and if I had brought my coat in case I get cold. I mean you gotta love her for her tenacity at times.” Vanessa showed him the screen that had a huge heart pulsing on it next to the name Val. “You know when I left home and joined the academy I thought was going to be on my own but that is a hard noooo. It’s not her fault really. She has been giving orders for the past fifty years to my dad and then the Slade brood. I swear if they took women at her age into Starfleet, she would have the best-managed ship in the fleet.
My mom can handle group messages like a switch board operator from the 1940’s but hates when I call her Val.” Vanessa shrugged and shook her head.

“You know how many moms we have in the Slade family? We are an oral genealogist’s nightmare.”

Vanessa Slade

“Your mother sounds accomplished. I don’t think you really want me to answer that last question.” Tom replied with a small laugh, “It comes with the territory. My job, assigned on a ship that spends significant time outside Federation borders to keep my exposure limited. Gives me a lot of free time to read IntSec dossiers.”

• Tom

“What does mine say? Bat snot crazy,” she laughed grabbing another slice of pizza. “I mean from the outside I get it. Why is my whole family living in the Irish battleship? The answer is I don’t know. My brothers Dalton, Dave, and Daniel bought the house next door so it is turning into a fleet I guess. Secretly I think my mom just wants to own the whole block and change the name to Slade Avenue.” As Vanessa chewed her slice, curiosity did get the better of her. Everyone did have files. What did the CO, XO, and security know about her and her past.

“Okay hit me,” she said turning in her chair to face him. “It’s not like I am going to remember any of it later so the whole classified thing is pretty moot. You can tell me anything because I will look at you like I have never seen you before by tomorrow so what do you know about Vanessa Daniella Slade.”

Vanessa Slade.

Tom looked thoughtful as this never went well. Some people were unaware of just how much information was in the Internal Security dossiers. Of course Tom’s eidetic memory didn’t help ease anything much.

Tom sighed and began, he started with the names, ages, and occupations of her parents when she was born then moved into an hour’s worth of the whens, wheres, and whats of the first ten years of her life. Places she’d been, medical calls, schools, awards, activities, etc. It was all stuff that would be of public record, it was just hard to believe all that information was in a single location much less a single dossier.

Tom stopped and looked at Vanessa. As he was reciting the highly detailed information he seemed to be in a semi trance state, not paying any attention to Vanessa unless he interrupted him with a question or statement.

“I could use a refresher on the drink.” he said, empty glass in hand, as he started to get up, “Sorry if I’m ruining movie night.”

• Tom

“Hell no,” her tone indicated she thought Tom was a little crazy with his comment. “In fact, want to know the upside because there is always an upside,” Vanessa stood up reaching for his glass as she hooked the empty bottle of beer between her fingers to get herself a refill. “No bats or skeletons just lurched out of my closet forcing us to run screaming from my quarters in terror.”

Moving to the replicator she refreshed her drinks as she continued to talk. “And a few of those facts are right on paper but wrong in reality. See it is the stuff behind the stuff that is always more interesting and explains people more. The spelling bee that I came in second place on was completely due to me realizing I had an accent. Connecticut is Cawnnecticut for a Southie. My family threw a block part for me because they said if it was held in Jamaica Plains my spelling would have counted. The interesting thing however was across town Tony’s pizza was robbed by a couple of kids who thought they could evade the police by mixing into the block party. When they came looking for the boys, they hid under one of the tables where my cousins were getting drunk. One kid grew up to be the assistant district attorney and the other a cop. This is why there is no record of me getting drunk and hitting that street light when I was 16. All your facts are correct but sometimes facts are not black and white.”

“Oh I know all too well how incomplete records are and that extenuating circumstances and external actions can alter or eliminate information.” Tom responded with a smile.

Turning to look at Tom, Vanessa smiled. “Tell me a fact that is not in the books about Tom Jarvis because somewhere in there is not just the perfect officer but a stupid kid that did something outrageous once.” Without missing a beat she extended her hand. “Peach water,” she handed him his glass.

Vanessa Slade CNS

Tom took the glass and downed half of it.

“Let’s see, stupid and outrageous… The Salamine Incident comes to mind.”

Vanessa sat back down nursing her beer.

Tom leaned back in the chair.

“I was sixteen and it was my first time getting drunk. I had just challenged the security course and had the classwork, testing, and practical exercises done in less than a month so I took a little break. I’d heard of Risa and thought I’d visit. The Salamine was a tavern. Well it turned out alcohol and I got along famously until I drank too much and passed out. Eighty seven people lost random and significant chunks of their lives as well as the last three weeks of memory. There was chaos. I haven’t touched an intoxicating beverage since.”

• Tom

Vanessa got a small wrinkle between her eyes. Tom seemed to be relaxing and having a good time but there still seemed to be a sadness that tugged at him. Getting comfortable in her own seat she took a small sip of her beer and reciprocated a story. “My boyfriend and I got drunk at a party. He wanted to be a gentleman and make sure I got home okay so he walked me home. Of course, I invited him in and we hung out in my room for the next hour.” Vanessa made sure to air-quote the appropriate words. “So it was time for him to leave. I didn’t realize how drunk he actually was. On the way downstairs he got the doors mixed up and walked into my parent’s room instead of out the front door. He tripped over something and faceplanted my parent’s bedroom floor. Luckily I have nine brothers. My parents thought Evan was David or Danny’s friend and blamed him. I was the good Catholic girl so my Daddy blamed the boys.” It was clear by the way she was telling the story she had found it all rather funny.

Tom nodded and gave Vanessa a knowing wink.

“The records are never complete nor are they ever fully accurate. These things do not surprise me.”

Looking at Tom, Vanessa tapped the side of her bottle with a fingertip. “Retrograde amnesia,” Vanessa said in a neutral tone. “You call it a curse but if you want to be clinical about it the term is retrograde amnesia which is simply the inability to recall past events. Your condition is not exactly unique. Irumodic Syndrome, dementia…people all across the galaxy have to deal with the same things you do.” Raising up a hand she cut him off if he had ever planned to start talking. “Sure it is the patient that suffers the mental loss but that patient is someone’s father, mother, brother, sister, lover. The point is that it doesn’t happen to only them. The frustration you feel with not being able to maintain and build relationships is felt every day when someone wakes up next to their spouse they have spent a lifetime with and know that person is going to have no idea how much they love, treasure, and miss the patient next to them. I am using the word patient just to keep our pronouns straight in this Irumodic/dementia example.” Vanessa let out a small laugh. “Too many he, she, they, and them’s can make it confusing. Anyway, the point is these people don’t let the syndrome control their life. They control the syndrome. I don’t think you need a counselor but a support group if you are ever interested. I am also telling you this as Vanessa the pizza-noshing, beer-drinking friend, and not Lt. Slade counselor extraordinaire.” As if to punctuate her sentence, she picked up another pieced of pizza and took a huge bite.

Vanessa Slade CNS

Tom thought for a moment about what Vanessa was saying.

“I understand what you’re saying but there is no way to control the field I give off. And I don’t forget unless I want to but the field affects almost everybody I’ve encountered. Brain damage and cybernetic implants have been able to allow people to remember direct in person contact with me. Recordings, notes in a journal, and the like let them remember me after a fashion you’re already familiar with. Hell, even extradimensional beings are somewhat affected. They don’t remember me but they retain a sense of familiarity, the ‘I believe I know you but I can’t seem to place who you are or where you’re from.’ kind of thing.” Tom said and took a drink of his water.

• Tom

“And the loved ones of people with Irumodic syndrome are you,” she picked off a topping and put it in her mouth. “They bear the burden you do and do so because it is important to them. You may think you are helping people but you are actually taking away any free choice for them and imposing your own beliefs on them. How do you know someone can’t handle something? Other people are big boys and girls and can make choices themselves without your input.”

Tom laughed.

“I only shy away from any serious attempts at a long term relationship. I’ve had plenty of dalliances and one night stands. Believe me, the choices were entirely theirs. Plus with my background and work, a relationship any more serious than friends, with or without benefits, could put those that would get close to me in danger.”

Tom took another drink of his water.

“Everyone has their lives and each person can choose for themselves. Yes, I get to choose how people interact with me but saying I’m forcing my own beliefs on them is a little over reaching. Keeping a distance is very different from being the person that goes around espousing their beliefs to everyone in ear shot and berating and condemning those that don’t fall in line with their ideology.”

Setting the pizza down, Vanessa brushed the crumbs off her hands and picked up her beer. Looking at Tom, she knew this was a heavy topic and one he might not be interested in dealing with however like most people Tom was his own worst enemy. “Okay, so I am being a dick sorta,” she admitted freely taking a long draw on her beer. “Yes it would be exhausting and yes it would be frustrating but you completely put off this stay away introvert vibe however when anyone reaches out for your help you are always there to give it. Your file is loaded with situations where you went out of your way to help someone. Whether you ever get to the white picket fence or rocking chair in the old spacer’s home is your worry. My worry is the long-term effects of isolation on someone which even though you are technically surrounded by people, figuratively you are alone on a deserted island. Besides, you are far luckier than most of my clients,” she let out a small laugh. “I won’t remember what you tell me and therapy is not magic. It is not like medicine where there is a magic hypo that fixes you without any effort on your part. Therapy only works when the person wants it to work. When you are ready I will be here and lucky for you if it is five years from now I will not remember it took five years to get you into my office.”

Tom smiled. He appreciated Vanessa’s outlook but he’d been over this many times and with many counselors and didn’t expect this to turn out any better from a professional psychological stance.

“Everyone has their dick moments. As for people staying away from me, there’s an inherent disdain and suspicion from others that comes along with putting on an Internal Security uniform. In case you haven’t noticed, I only get the ‘wide berth’ treatment when I’m in uniform. Other than that, I’m just another face that one passes by in the corridors without a second glance. Rest assured Counselor, if I need your professional help, I will come to your office.”

There had been way too much heavy talk for pizza and a movie night. This was supposed to be fun. “So what was your favorite toy as a kid,” she asked.

Vanessa Slade CNS

Tom gave her a mildly suspicious look. The fun movie night had been pretty heavy.

“Is this another point of analysis?” Tom asked, “I can always schedule an appointment. No point in making you work when you’re supposed to be off duty.”

• Tom (The Socially Awkward)

“Nope just random conversation,” Vanessa let out a laugh. “I had this stuffed baby doll that came with a huge English-like baby carriage. I loved it but if you notice the past tense nothing lives long in the Slade household. My brothers wanted to join this soap box derby thing one fourth of July so they repurposed it. Needless to say, none of us had any idea until they came flying by us toward the finish line and I lost my crap along the side of the road. I am not sure I really liked the toy until it was destroyed. You have any family?”

Vanessa Slade CNS

Tom contemplated lying but then thought why? Why lie. It was killing the mood but he didn’t make it a habit of sparing people’s feelings. It wasn’t part of him and that’s part of the reason he was good at his job. He only liked when it was mission critical and didn’t want to start operating fallacies outside of the purview of his work.

“I was an only child and had a happy home till I was twelve years old.” Tom replied, “After that it was just awkward and I had to be rehomed before I turned thirteen. That day your mother screams and calls you an imposter and wants to know where her baby boy is… Well let’s just say life wasn’t easy after that.”

Tom sipped at the water again and looked up to see where they were in the movie.

“Next question?”

• Tom

Vanessa slowly set her pizza down and looked at Tom. “Well, this conversation took a different turn than expected. I thought you were going to say legos.” It was clear that Tom did want to talk and since she would forget everything once he left, it didn’t matter what he revealed or shared with her. In a way, it was freeing. No matter how shocked, stunned, or confused she felt, it would all be gone before dawn. “So why did she think that?”

Vanessa Slade CNS

“Because I had matured and deviated enough away form her memory of what I looked like that she thought I had been replaced. My father couldn’t get her to reconcile. Talking over comms got her to acquiesce that I might be who I and my father said I am but she’s always had that doubt in the back of her thoughts.”

• Tom

“Wait so she and your dad remembered you on some level?” Vanessa seemed rather excited at this response. “I get it that it was more like a traumatic brain injury where it was like a drunken bender where you remunere but not clearly however for the rest of us it’s a pure nope never saw him before in our lives the second you walk out the door. Tom this is huge.”

“If your parents have any recollection of you which they must or at least your mom because she recognized it wasn’t you versus a complete stranger that means we to learn why. The brain is nothing but a cocktail of chemicals that make cells fire neurons. Something in your moms chemical make up is allowing her to glimpse you. You are half of your mom so there is hope. Have you explored this before?”

Vanessa Slade. Can s

Tom frowned a little and shook his head.

“No, it’s not like that. They remember me fine till puberty set in. My mother’s last personal memories of me, that aren’t because of long range comms, are when I was twelve years old. When puberty set in and my mutation began to rear it’s head, her and my father’s discomfort around me had been building till it broke that morning that she came in to wake me and the screaming started. My father was always the stoic man but he couldn’t handle the uncertainty anymore either and thus I was shuffled off to be rehomed. For eight years my mother thought I was dead.”

Tom drank some more water before getting up to get a refill.

“I wasn’t always so forgettable.”

• Tom