Back In The Saddle - Part I

Posted on Wed 5th May, 2021 @ 4:23pm by Commander Mikaela Locke
Edited on Wed 5th May, 2021 @ 4:28pm

684 words; about a 3 minute read

'Personal Log: Stardate seven-one-three-four-one-point-three.

Commander Mikaela Locke.

Following a period in temporary command of Starbase One-Oh-Nine, while Commodore Suzuki attended a high-level command briefing, on Earth, I decided that, upon her return, I would request to use some of my accumulated leave to take a bit of time away from the station, in order to rest and recuperate from what was both a challenging and a very rewarding time.

I've yet to decide whether that experience has left me with a long-term desire to achieve a command of my own or not. Thankfully, at the moment, I am very happy with my job and with my life on One-Oh-Nine and, therefore, the decision is not one that I should need to be making any time soon.

As part of my leave, I was granted special permission to visit the monastery on Boreth. Such an opportunity seemed impossible, even a couple of years ago, but relations between the Federation and the Klingon Empire - while still not as secure as they were twenty years ago - have begun to improve again. Of course, one asset of working in intelligence is that you develop relations with all kinds of... people? beings? - not sure what the politically correct phrase is there... Anyway, I have a friend in the KDF who was able to speak to the clerics for me and... sponsor? underwrite? - again, not sure what you'd call it. He basically guaranteed that I understood Klingon culture, spoke the language and wouldn't do or say anything to offend anyone or disrupt monastery life and that they could kill his daughter if I did...

No pressure there then.

Thankfully, my behaviour seemed honourable enough to keep little K'Malia alive for a little while longer.

It was good to use the opportunity to retreat and to be quiet. I'm not a religious person, per se, but I do have an abstract sense of spirituality: that there are things in this universe that, no matter how advanced our technology becomes, we will never understand. And it was exciting and challenging to tap into that a little bit, on a place like Boreth.

I also took the chance to study a little, as well as to brush up on my Klingon. On a Starfleet facility, with universal translators hard-wired into all the communication systems, there is no need to speak other languages, even if you can. I must admit that, while I remember all the words of the various languages I know, I've lose some of the fluency and confidence in many of them.

For the second part of my leave, I visited New Sydney, in the Orion sector. Primarily a human colony, the planet is surprisingly, Earth-like - just not so far away - and, apart from the three moons in the sky, one could easily be forgiven for thinking that you were actually on Earth. I was able to rent an apartment there, in a coastal city called Anchorage, on one of the southern continents and, essentially, spent two weeks on the beach, in the sea, reading, drinking and generally living without a care. Again, after Boreth, it was a nice change of pace.

I had hoped that Paul might be able to join me on New Sydney, but, as he, quite-rightly, pointed out, it probably wasn't a good idea to leave the station without it's first and second officers for an extended period of time. I did point out that Captain Grax was, in fact, a captain and that I was sure I could persuade him to assist the commodore for a couple of weeks, but he wouldn't have it. This could well be a conversation we have to return to if this relationship turns into a longer-term thing. I'm not sure I'll always want to spend my leave apart from my boyfriend...

Anyway, the U.S.S. Amazon just got in about an hour ago, it's now twenty-three-hundred hours, and I'm due in Ops at oh-eight-hundred.

Unpacking may have to wait until tomorrow night...

End log.'

 

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