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Day 24 [1400 hrs.] Trials Tribulations and Tessas

[ Lt JG Derik Veradin | Observation Lounge | Deck 10 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Pierce
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Aldea Prime. What an honestly beautiful planet in its own way. Reds, Oranges, yellows with hints of greens swirled around its surface. Perhaps some ancient “god” thought the colors of fire would make for a interesting colored atmosphere. Perhaps it was simply the universe being diverse. Whatever the explanation, Derik had been sitting in one of the lounging chairs staring out at it’s surface for the better part of three hours at this point. He had tucked himself into the curve of one of the large chairs to the left of the main entrance to the Observation lounge. To his right lay a mostly empty platter with a cup of coffee, a bowl of blue berries, and his personal PADD.

With all the hussle and bussle of the ship’s repairs going on, the Trill hadn’t taken the time to just sit and admire their host’s homeworld. He had purposefully refused to read any of the scientific analysis of the world simply because he hadn’t wanted such a beautiful illusion shattered. It was a foolish and stupid decision since it was his job to know about the planet his crewmates would be spending so much time on but he let it slide. Instead he let his imagination run wild, all different kinds of made up narratives coming to mind as he pondered the swirling, ebbing colors.

A few officers came in and out as he sat there contemplating the view, each of which the Chief CONN Officer ignored to be frank. Why get distracted with the people just passing through when there was such a magnificent sight to behold. Warm coffee passed his lips as he focused on the viewport in front of him.

Re: Day 24 [1400 hrs] Trials Tribulations and Tessas

Reply #1 –
[ Lt. JG Tessa May Lance, callsign "GoldenEye" | Observation Lounge | Deck 10 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Argyros

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The ship was a little more vacant than usual with many crew members visiting the surface of Aldea Prime. Hell, she had spent some time there too recently. But, this is where she felt she needed to be...on the Theurgy. However, with nothing much going on, Tessa found it difficult to find things to kill the time. Sure she'd visited the Holodeck and done her retraining and such but, she felt like she ought to do something. Unfortunately, that something meant actually going somewhere other than her quarters or the flight deck.

She wandered into the observation lounge, taking in the sights of so many coming and going in a rather hurried fashion to honestly go nowhere important. The doors swooshed open as she saw a few people, one in particular that she recognized as the Chief CONN Officer. He was a bridge officer, but she hadn't really gotten acquainted with him yet. It's an interesting job however getting to pilot the massive starship compared to a Valkyrie.

A little tired of boredom, Tessa staggered to the replicator. After punching in a few dials, she settled on an old Earth carbonated beverage called a 'Cola'. She always enjoyed those from back home. Holding onto her glass, she stepped over to the viewports, looking out at the beautiful world she'd just spent some time at and breathed a breath of relaxation. Still standing, she turned around and stepped over to the lounge chair with the backrest facing the viewport into space. At the other end of the lounge, well for lack of a better word, extended couch, was Lt. JG Derik Veradin opposite her. He too also appeared to be staring into the vastness of space.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" she said tilting her head towards the other officer while taking a few sips of her drink. "It's been a while since I've seen a world that's so wonderful and not trying to wage war with us or infect us." She noticed he looked slightly puzzled as if wondering, 'Who the hell are you?' "Sorry, wasn't sure if you wanted company or not. I'm Lt. JG Tessa Lance."[/b]

Re: Day 24 [1400 hrs] Trials Tribulations and Tessas

Reply #2 –
[ Lt JG Derik Veradin | Observation Lounge | Deck 10 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Pierce
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”Ah. You’re ‘GoldenEye’ right?” He reached out a hand in offer of a shake. ”Lt JG Derik Veradin. Pleasure.” He leaned back against the cushion, eyes drifting back to the planet before him. Taking a sip of his coffee, he figured he should respond to her initial question. ”And yes it is beautiful. Stunning in fact. Few habitable worlds have colors like that. If we didn’t have sensors to tell us differently, I’d think the upper atmosphere was aflame. Truly something different than the normal views.”

Derik’s eyes locked on a swirling set of colors for a minute, unable to look away. He knew it was just clouds but it looked like a rotating whirlpool of flame. Entranced, his hand slowly lowered until his cup was resting on his lap. He could hardly look away given what he was seeing. The world was an Artist’s dream up close. So much vibrancy, so many details, so much beauty. Even down on the planet, the colors were no less vibrant looking up. A world that looked like it was both dead and alive all at the same time. How stunning could one world be?

Realizing that his staring and not offering the officer a place to sit was kind of rude of him, Derik tore his eyes away from the planet and motioned Tessa towards the spot opposite the platter next to him. ”Please. Have a seat. Tell me what you think of when you look at Aldea.”

Re: Day 24 [1400 hrs] Trials Tribulations and Tessas

Reply #3 –
[ Lt. JG Tessa May Lance, callsign "GoldenEye" | Observation Lounge | Deck 10 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Argyros

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"Oh, I am known as GoldenEye as well!" Tessa said shaking the hand of Derik Veradin. She was admiring the bridge officer and what he must have seen being on the bridge. She turned back to the planet side and continued to take in the beautiful views of the planet. "It does kind of look like it's aflame. Never really saw it that way before to be honest."

Taking a sip of her Cola, Tessa noted that Derik was locked on to the planet deep in thought as if mesmerized by its splendor. She could certainly understand the sentiment especially when things have been so crazy in the Federation as of late. This seemed to give that sense of peacefulness so seldom seen in this era what with all the wars going on.

She looked over at Derik and noticed his hand motioning her over to the bench opposite of him to continue conversing. She eased her backside against the bench and leaned her back against it with an arm leaning over the top. Her free hand resting on her lap with the partially drank Cola. "Thanks! I love the look. It reminds me of Earth in many ways but also of something similar to the Warp Core in how the clouds look like the plasma swirls. I enjoyed my time down there during the Yacht Party event. The sun and pools were a lot of fun. I just see it as a paradise of sorts."

Wanting to have a little deeper conversation, Tessa inquired to Derik a little further, "So tell me a bit about yourself. I've been trying to use my downtime to learn more about the people I serve with."

Re: Day 24 [1400 hrs] Trials Tribulations and Tessas

Reply #4 –
[ Lt JG Derik Veradin | Observation Lounge | Deck 10 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Pierce
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Similar to a Warp Core in how the clouds look like the plasma swirls? Yes! Derik’s eyes grew wide with the realization. She was right! It did look like a warp core! How had he missed that? And quite  the apt description too. The plasma rolling around like liquid fire and now the clouds looking like some great hand took a giant warp core and poured it’s contents over the surface of Aldea. What a funny sight to see that would have been.

He almost missed the question when she asked to know more about him. He’d been so lost again amongst those amusing little thought. Tearing his eyes away from the view, He instead focused on Tessa. ”Uh okay. Let’s see. Trill.” He said with a smile, pointing at the spots along the side of his face. He was playful with his tone, just trying to break some ice ”27 years old, Lieutenant Junior Grade, Acting Chief CONN Officer, lowest ranked member of the senior staff, Starflet academy class of 2378. I’m an only child now, was born in Zelthus on Trill, almost became Joined but decided it wasn’t for me and dropped out. My first post was on the USS Resolve as their Assistant Chief CONN officer. Spent 3 very long years on that ship. And now I’m here.”

”Your turn.” He said with a grin as he sipped his coffee.

Re: Day 24 [1400 hrs] Trials Tribulations and Tessas

Reply #5 –
[ Lt. JG Tessa May Lance, callsign "GoldenEye" | Observation Lounge | Deck 10 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn:  @Argyros

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Tessa thought about it some before replying. She loved the realization that she'd deduced about the planet's surface and how it just clicked with Derik. She took a sip of her cola again, after which her arms rested on her lap, still holding the glass as she got comfortable. She leaned against the side of the bench while sitting on her legs at a slight slant.

"Well, born in Phoenix, Proxima Colony, Alpha Centauri System. Human, 26 years old, Lieutenant Junior Grade, a Lone Wolves, goes by the callsign "GoldenEye", Starfleet Academy Class of 2377. I'm an only child that I know of. In 2377 I graduated and was promoted to ensign and then assigned to the USS James Kirk. In 2378, I was assigned to the USS Theurgy and promoted in 2380 to Lieutenant (junior grade)."

She took another sip of her Cola, placing the cup on her thigh as she sat comfortably. Overall she was having a good time simply relaxing and conversing with a fellow officer.

"Anything interesting happening lately? I've been sort of getting reacclimated to life, not in a constant state of fear."

Re: Day 24 [1400 hrs] Trials Tribulations and Tessas

Reply #6 –
[ Lt JG Derik Veradin | Observation Lounge | Deck 10 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Pierce
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”You could say that…” Derik trailed off remembering Hieronimus Smith’s horrible death. The Science Officer flying across the bay on fire, slamming into the bulkhead, the copper tinged air as he slid down leaving a bloody trail. He would probably carry that memory with him to the end of his days. What a terrible way to go. All over an easily avoidable mistake. The Trill took a deep breath to keep the stress he felt over the event down. Even though it was almost two weeks ago now, he still felt the bitter taste.

Other than that rather traumatic incident, the rest of their shore leave had been rather tame. Everyone of course still had duties to attend to, but for the most part, the repairs had been going off without a hitch. Perhaps that was boring but all things considered, it wasn’t a bad thing. They all needed a break from constant battles and being chased all over the alpha and beta quadrants. Derik wondered if there were indeed any stories of note from the crew’s time here. Surely there was something right?

”So far I’ve heard of a few stories from some crewmates as to what they’ve been up to. Most of it has been standard shore leave kind of things. What about you?”

Re: Day 24 [1400 hrs] Trials Tribulations and Tessas

Reply #7 –
[ Lt. JG Tessa May Lance, callsign "GoldenEye" | Observation Lounge | Deck 10 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Argyros

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Tessa could tell she'd struck a chord somewhere with Derik and chose to leave that thread be. Lord knows they'd all been through hell at some point. She'd been through her fair share of losses too. Figuring that was the issue based on the face he'd given, Tessa decided to switch gears and discuss lighter conversations. Before she could, however, Derik inquired something from her about their recent shore leave.

"So far I've heard of a few stories from some crewmates as to what they've been up to. Most of it has been standard shore leave kind of things. What about you?"

Thinking about this, she thought about the various things that she'd been up to. "Well, I started our venture on Aldea Prime as a broken woman. I had a mental breakdown and my mental capacity was that of a ten-year-old girl. I had to have extensive therapy when we arrived based on all the recent losses I'd suffered from friends and colleagues. Not only on the ship but in the Lone Wolves and just the culmination of my Starfleet career. Plus the knowledge of being on the run constantly for fear of being locked up. It was...it was just too much."

Her head dropped as she stared at her basically empty drink. Small amounts of liquid swirling the bottom as she shook the glass staring deeply at it as if it were her thoughts she was shaking. "After checking myself into the medical ward and getting some help from the doctors, I was able to apply for an experimental Vulcan Mind Meld that would help to stabilize and organize my mental state as well as give me the mental tools to cope with these issues in the future. It took many, many sessions during the first few weeks here. But once I made it past that, I got recertified for my Valkyrie duties, and have an appointment for a medical checkup in a few days to certify me fit for duty again."

She paused and could see that she was in good company of having dealt with some deep issues in recent times. "As for my relaxations, well, I visited Aldea Prime on the Yacht Party, hung out with some Lone Wolves I'd not really met before outside of flying, and been mostly trying to relax on the ship since coming back here. It's just been a little all over the place."

Noting she'd spewed a lot of verbal vomit on him, she wondered if she'd already ruined this conversation with too much too soon. "Sorry. Sometimes I just talk and then don't know when to stop. I'm sure this is all too much for you to take in."

Tessa stood up and got a refill of her drink and say back down on the bench to converse if he was still up for it.

Re: Day 24 [1400 hrs] Trials Tribulations and Tessas

Reply #8 –
[ Lt JG Derik Veradin | Observation Lounge | Deck 10 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Pierce
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The Trill didn’t interrupt, indeed his lips did not part but for sips of hot coffee as Ms Lance retold her journey since their arrival on Aldea. In many ways it mirrored Derik’s own life. He too suffered from an existential crisis, but had opted to seek his own council rather than that of medical personnel. Without that support he’d spend more nights awake than not, unable to really find peace for a while. Days he’d wrestle with his place in the universe, trying to wrap fingers around an ephemeral concept. But like all battles, eventually one side won out over the other. Thank whatever divine entity was watching that it had been his rational side.

He’d come to terms with the fact he was, in most of civilized life eye’s, a renegade and an outlaw. In an odd way there was comfort in that notion. Being such left him free to do what had to be done, to carry out his duty without judgement, or rather the worry about what kind of judgment his peers in the Federation might have. Small victories if they could be called such. Small mercies may have been more accurate.

”Not at all” He finally responded. ”I was merely reminiscing upon the similarities of our two lives.” After which the Trill was quite, lost in his own thoughts and memories once more.
 

Re: Day 24 [1400 hrs] Trials Tribulations and Tessas

Reply #9 –
[ Lt. JG Tessa May Lance, callsign "GoldenEye" | Observation Lounge | Deck 10 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Argyros

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Allowing a small smile to crease her plump lips, she stared into her own drink again as she swirled the glass around some more. He was right after all. They all had some messed up lives and she could tell he was just relaxing in the solace of this beautiful world that should be Starfleet's mission in learning about and not just finding refuge. The Theurgy while able to hold it's own in battle should also have it's "Enterprise" moments of learning, exploration, and the occasional battles.

While Tessa had spent the better part of this ship's voyage as a renegade, maybe that's what was need now more than ever. After all, she'd heard the tales of what Captain Sisko did to win the Dominion War, and what Picard had to do to stop the Borg. Things needed to get messy to some extent in order to get better.

"Well Derik, I think I'll take off. It was nice chatting with you." She stood up, carefully not tilting her drink too much. "Maybe some time we'll get the chance to work together in the field on an assignment provided I'm not in my Valkyrie."

As she headed to the end of the bench, she nodded towards him as in understanding he had a lot on his mind he was working out. But in the mannerism she did it, it was letting him know if he ever needed someone to talk to, she would be there. "Have a good one!" She said waving as she walked up to the counter, finished her drink, and stepped in front of the door. The door swooshed open and she stepped into the hallway towards the turbolift as the door closed behind her.

- FIN
 
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