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Post by pscotty90 on Jan 28, 2019 16:35:22 GMT
Personnel File:
Name: Elena Volkova Species/Gender: Human / Female Born: 20 September 2373 - Murmansk, Russia Height: 6’1” Weight:148 lbs Hair: Blonde Eyes: Grey
Rank: Cadet Serial no.: AT-292-901-RMC Department: Security / Tactical Ops Assignment: Awaiting Deployment - Starfleet Academy Graduate Assesment Program
Early Life: Elena was born in Murmansk of the Russian Federation to Viktor and Irena Volkov. Regrettably Elena would not grow up to know her father as he perished in the Breen attack on Earth in 2375 (See Starfleet Science Division File Lt.Jg. Viktor Volkov 2348-2375). Her mother meanwhile was a High School Teacher. At an Early age Elena took up an interest in music. Beginning to play the piano from the age of five and later taking on vocal training in Russian opera during her teenage years, At the age of 15 Elena became an award winning Soprano and toured concert halls across the Sol system and the inner federation worlds over the course of two years. She earned a particular popular following from Andoria whose warrior caste considered her voice to be an embodiment of an Ancient Goddess of War, while a renowned Vulcan musician and critic noted she was “audiably appealing”; an observation that was considered something of a scandal among more traditional Vulcan households. After this exposure to alien cultures Elena got a taste for life in Space and opted to join Starfleet Academy at 18. Shortly after this she became estranged from her mother. They have not spoken since joining the Academy.
Academy Career:
2391 Elena was noted by her instructors to have a great amount of drive but very little direction during her first year in the Academy. She opted to enter the Command Division training scheme and began a major in Interstellar Politics and ethics while taking on semesters in advanced survival training, Astrosciences and basic to intermediate first aid along with her required Starfleet curriculum. Her extracurricular activities included the Academy chess team, Starfleet Academy music group, Volunteering with the Starfleet Orphan Foundation. 2392 In her second year she was advised by her counsellors to continue her major but to choose accompanying subjects better suited to its application. Elena therefore chose to join the Academy debate team and she dropped Astrosciences (while still earning a credit in the subject) and took up two new courses in Emergency Diplomatic Measures and Advanced Negotiation Techniques. Meanwhile she moved on to Intermediate tactical combat courses and continued to advance her field medic training. Due to an opted focus on security and tactical semesters she was trasnfered to the Ops and Tactical Division and receieved her Gold colours. 2393 The cadet reached her stride early in her third year. Her professors and instructors noted her determination and passion. She obtained her degree in Interstellar politics and ethics before the academic year had even concluded, which led her to taking on further tactical training courses. Her counsellors noted that she seemed to enjoy the physical activity that the tactical units provided for her but were concerned that there was an underlining psychological need for her to feel capable in a combat situation. By the end of the year she was top of her class in Advanced Ground forces combat and Starship defence and security. She dropped her volunteering work to make more time for further courses in starship combat manuevering and auxillary vessel dogfight manuvering. She was noted as a capable if unimmaginative combat pilot. 2394 Elena began her fourth year with similar furvor to her third, however counsellors noted that despite graduating her major with honours her constinued workload was taking a strain. She took up courses in Advanced Tactics, Advanced Zero G training, forensic psychology, forensic science and Advanced weapons and demolitions training. Three months into the academic year Elena was reprimanded by the dean of students for assaulting a fellow class member. The altercation was reported to have arisen during a class debate in which the other classmen was taking the position that the Dominion War had ultimately benefited and strengthened the federation. Due to the Cadet’s background the Dean was willing to allow this as a temporary reprimand upon her file, taking into consideration her family history and the nature of the debate. However Elena chose at the this point to take a leave of absence from the Academy, leaving her intentions to return somewhat vague.
2397 Elena Volkova requested reinstatement at the Academy. Upon interviews with her counsellors she had revealed that she had taken the two years as a chance to return to her life as a musician while also receiving psychological therapy (See Starfleet Medical file CLASSIFIED FOR CMO USE ONLY). When asked why she wished to return Elena noted that she felt like she still belonged in Starfleet and that the skills she had obtained at the Academy would have been a waste anywhere else. Due to the current condition of the Federation with officer shortages from the situation with the True Federation, Elena’s reapplication was accepted despite concerns from the admissions officer regarding her psyche eval. She was placed under close academic supervision and allowed to continue where she had left off, with her feeling confident that after two years away she was mentally fit to carry on as she was. Instructors expected her to take another two years to complete her studies, however she was able to obtain enough academic credits part way through the year to apply for early assignment.
Counsellors and Supervisors of Ms. Volkova have praised her single minded determination to achieve almost anything she sets her mind to, but believe that there is a mental breaking point that she is almost always close to crossing. Her tactical instructors note that this may be what gives her an edge in combat situations as she is in a constant psychological survival mode. However this may make her a difficult prospect for command training as she needs senior officers to help guide her and not let her drown in her own need to succeed. The friendships and relationships she has built during her time at the Academy are healthy and normal for a woman of her age and it was noted that upon her return to the Academy she was caring and attentive toward her classmates who were younger than her. She easily takes on a “big sister role”. Something that was highlighted with her work at the Starfleet Orphan Foundation.
Her tactical scores in both space and ground combat are excellent and she has received a combat medic qualification from Starfleet Medical. Cadet Volkova is rated for up to Class 3 Shuttlecraft and Class 1 Attack Fighters. Her weapon scores qualify her for up to Type 4 Phaser artillery and demolitions ranging from Isomagnetic disintegrators to photon charges. Her bridge officer training is pending complition of her first assignment. it is also noted that her Degree in politics and skills in diplomacy make Elena an asset in diplomatic situations, receiving a first class rating in First Contact protocols. It is advised to her commanding officer that Elena may have a strong affinity towards hostage crisis resolution.
Academy accolades and noted events: 2393 Academy chess champion Sang the Federation Anthem for assembled guests at the 2393 First contact day celebrations. Received Academy Marla Aster award for service to others. 2397 Cadet Quatermaster and Armory Assistant.
Despite certain concerns Elena Volkova has been recognised as having the makings of a valued officer and is cleared for security and tactical duties upon the earliest available starship to complete her Cadet training. It is however advised that Cadet Volkova receives continued support from a ships counsellor where possible.
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Post by pscotty90 on Jan 30, 2019 15:34:53 GMT
At the Academy one of the things they train you to do is to expect the unexpected. Starfleet had been boldly going for more than two centuries now and for all the space that had been explored and all the races that had been encountered there was still always room for the unknown. Elena remembered her required semesters that covered first contact scenarios, exotic spatial anomalies, and the whimsically named ’How to deal with omnipotent lifeforms and why they aren’t gods’. These classes, among many, many others were designed to expose cadets to the concept that space is so vast that no matter how much we learn there’s still always something around the corner that Starfleet has never seen before. Or, as is also an occasional problem, something that has been seen before but occured to one ship so long ago that no one remembers it. Elena remembered one of her professors displaying a long list of starships that had been destroyed or listed as MIA without any idea as to why. At this point, Elena was starting to wonder if the Zorya was going to be on that list next year.
It was difficult not to focus on impending death when a five-hundred metre long starship had been plunged into complete darkness with all systems inoperable. Elena thought back to all the other ships on her professor’s list and how many of them saw their ship take on this same ominous atmosphere right before the end came.
Of course the other thing Starfleet officers are trained to do is to ’work the problem’. To look at all the information you have in front of you and develop a solution. Sometimes that just meant throwing whatever you think of at a wall and seeing what sticks. That mindset probably explained why at that precise moment she was holding down an energy draining tick that had not five minutes ago been boring its way through the bridge ceiling while her commanding officer was trying to disect it one handed.
She supposed that she should just focus on the job. She looked down at the device trying to decern pieces of tech she recognised. Micro power conduits or servo motors that might reveal some sort of weakness, but it didn’t stop her heart from pounding. She felt helpless. At any second a photon torpedo could just obliterate the ship into tiny pieces. Or one of these things could bore its way through anti-matter containment and the ship would be obliterated into even tinier pieces.
She thought about her mom and all the times they fought when she told her she was joining Starfleet. The days where she wouldn’t speak to her at all. The days she shoved her dad’s death in her face and told Elena she’d end up the same way...
Dad...
She never used to think about him much. Well, she did, but it’s not like she could remember him. She was only a baby when he died in the Breen attack on Earth during the Dominion War. He was on his way to work. A low level science officer assigned to analysing deepspace probe telemetry. He’d never even been assigned to a Starship. He was never supposed to have been anywhere dangerous, but yet the monorail he was riding took a direct hit and he was vaporised.
There was nothing he could have done.
There was nothing Elena could do now.
Through the darkness on the bridge she looked down on her hip and made sure her phaser was still there.
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Post by Einar on Jan 30, 2019 16:08:37 GMT
great first log, I am really excited to get to know this character
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Post by aoibheni on Jan 30, 2019 16:11:10 GMT
That was fantastic. I can't tell you how happy that log made me.
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Post by aoibheni on Jan 30, 2019 16:12:24 GMT
Well, apparently myself and Einar are on the ball today! Talk about rapid fire comments!
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Post by pscotty90 on Jan 30, 2019 16:23:28 GMT
Thanks guys. It’s not actually the log I wanted to write as such. it was just the one that happened. She kinda writes herself.
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Post by aoibheni on Jan 30, 2019 17:08:39 GMT
I love when a character does that!
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Post by pscotty90 on Feb 6, 2019 23:18:56 GMT
Four Years Ago Starfleet Academy San Francisco - Earth
"Please sit and wait to be called, Cadet."
The Dean's assistant gestured politely, but brusquely displaying the weight of Elena's circumstance. She sat down, her back straight with her hands clasped in her lap. The kind of position you sit in when you really would prefer to be standing. She rubbed her thumbs together nervously as she waited, her heartbeat echoing in her head. She tried to focus on something else, but only found the Academy badge and motto to stare at. She looked at the knuckles of her right hand. They were still red, with a slight cut where one had collided with Matthew Rawlings' teeth. Looking at the damage to herself she actually felt pretty stupid.
"The Dean will see you know, Cadet Volkova."
Elena hadn't even heard the assistant's console chime.
She stood up and pressed down her uniform. Back straight and shoulders back as she marched herself into the office.
The Dean of Students' office was surprisingly small. Some of the professors had larger ones, particularly the science and engineering staff who needed the room. There was nothing really historic about it. No antiques passed on from previous Deans or art along the walls. The whole room was kept relatively sterile, with just a few personal effects kept on the Dean's desk. In some ways it made this easier. There was no stuffiness to the room, which you'd usually expect from an institution which had some many years of history stacked on top of it as Starfleet Academy.
Elena snapped to attention just before running into the pair of plush guest chairs in front of the desk.
"Cadet Elena Volkova reporting as ordered, sir." she said with the confidence and volume Cadets were trained to express when presenting themselves to a senior officer, but there was a crack to her voice.
His head was turned away from her as he read from a PADD in his hands. She couldn't help but notice that his silvery hair was starting to betray a bald spot on his crown, which oddly suited his gold trimmed red uniform and the pair of admiral stars displayed on his collar.
"Cadet," he began without looking at her, "Can you please explain to me what happened this morning."
She shifted her feet slightly. She really didn't want to go over this again, but the Dean wanted her own report.
"Yes sir. At Eleven-hundred hours myself and the members of the Academy debate team assembled at meeting room D at the Philosophy and Ethics department. Lieutenant T'kell was with us as our assigned moderator..."
She told him everything. How everything was going fine for most of the morning. Everyone was split into random pairs and then given their topic by the Lieutenant with each pair taking opposing sides in the debate. She told him how she even felt ok when she and Rawlings were told to debate if 'War was ever good for the Federation.' She was never really that fond of Rawlings but had nothing massively against him either. Then her voice wavered as she explained what happened next.
"He was told to argue that war was a good thing. I mean I couldn't have done that..." she felt her eyes well up, "But he seemed to really get into it, you know? He talked about how the Federation was born out of conflict with the Romulan war and that each time it's expanded it's been after a major fight to get it to that point..."
"And what was your position?" the Dean suddenly interrupted and Elena realised that at some point during her explanation he had turned to look at her.
"It was a tough position to argue from. I tried to say that the Federation has always continued to expand regardless and that if we grow more after conflict it's because we're merely reacting to a power vacuum. He responded by saying that it wasn't just a matter of expansion but how we advance technologically and become more prepared for the next challenges ahead... I think he knew he had me because he really started to get into his own rhetoric..."
"And then?" he pushed, more gently than she expected.
"And then..." she felt a set of tears run down her face, "Then I said that people still died in those wars and that we shouldn't just consider them a stepping stone."
She felt the veneer of calm she'd been keeping up begin to crumble. He breath caught in her throat and she sniffed back to try and hold back more tears.
"You said, 'even Betazed and Earth have been attacked before. It's not like we don't earn power without cost. Are lives worth it?" he continued, kindly stepping in for her.
She nodded as she tried to fight back a flood of tears that was coming.
"And he responded, 'They might be if we're safer because of it.'"
Her throat broke and she she let out an anguished sob.
"That's when I hit him..." she finished as she couldn't stop the tears running down her face any more.
The Dean sighed and stood up from his chair.
"At ease Cadet. Sit down, please." he gestured to the plush armchair in front of her. The kind of comfy chairs you only find in people's offices for others to sit in. She sat in return and found herself burying her face into her hands. He meanwhile came from behind the desk and sat in the chair opposite.
"You know that was inexcusable behaviour," he said softly, "Can you tell me why you did it?"
She struggled to gain control of her own voice as she cried more than she could remember doing in years. She didn't cry. She never cried. Other people cry.
"I don't know, sir. I just... It's like he just said it and I got so angry all of a sudden."
This wasn't how she'd expected this meeting to go. It was almost worse. She expected the Admiral to chew her out. Tell her she was a disgrace to the Academy. That she'd be kicked out... Instead he was acting like an understanding grand-father who was mildly disappointed in her.
"I've been reviewing your file. It certainly made things a little clearer for me. You've been a model cadet, Ms. Volkova. Although your counsellors tell me you've not been home since you first started attending here."
She sniffed as she wiped away a fresh set of tears.
"My mother and I don't really get along. She didn't want me attending the Academy."
"Because of your father?"
She nodded.
"I'm so terribly sorry you never met him. I looked him up too. We actually went to the Academy at the same time. Never met him of course. You never meet everyone in a campus this big. But I spoke to some friends of friends who knew him and they all said he was a good man."
She tried to smile. The kind of polite, cracked smile you give to someone who is at least trying to be kind. She thanked him as best she could though.
"Your counsellors also tell me that up until last year you'd been spending a lot of your time at the Starfleet Orphanage in Berlin. Is there a reason why you stopped assisting them?"
"My classes were starting to get a bit too much... I needed time to focus on my studies."
The Dean nodded, leaning toward her in his chair. It seemed strange how it was crumpling his uniform. Elena didn't think she'd ever seen an Admiral's uniform not be stiff and straight.
"You do seem to have been pushing yourself pretty hard over the past three years. It's certainly impressive while you've been maintaining highly adequate grades."
"...Honestly, sir, I just like to keep busy."
He smiled thinly and got back out of his chair, stepping back behind the desk. She suspected that they were about to get back to business. Thankfully she'd just about managed to stop her tears now. She stood back up, expecting the worst.
"Obviously, Ms. Volkova, you know that I cannot let your actions towards Cadet Rawlings slide without some for of punishment. I believe the infirmary have had to perform some emergency dental work this afternoon."
She was at attention and bracing herself. She just wanted this over with.
"Under normal circumstances a student could likely find themselves facing academic suspension at best, and expulsion at worst. However, given your progress over the years here, and given your family history which I feel may have been a contributing factor here I have chosen to place a five year reprimand in your file."
She looked up in surprise. She was honestly expecting suspension.
"Understand that this is still serious. It will likely mean that you will not get your pick of assignments when you graduate. And you will almost certainly not be promoted past Ensign for some time after that. I will also be recommending that you be given closer supervision in future and you will be expected to see your counsellor at least twice a week for the rest of the year. I also want you to drop one of your current classes to give yourself more free time. You can discuss which one with your counsellor before you make a decision."
She stood there, her mind whirling more now than it was in the waiting room. She didn't really understand. After all, she had punched another student. Why did she get treated with what was effectively just a slap on the wrist?
"It goes without saying that you are also to apologise to Cadet Rawlings for your actions."
He finished and sat back down in his chair, now looking up at her.
"Do you have any questions, Cadet?"
"No, sir." She responded at attention, "Thank you, sir."
"Then you are dismissed, Cadet Volkova. Please go straight to your dorm. You are expected at an appointment with Counsellor Meryl at oh-eight-hundred tomorrow morning."
She turned on the spot and marched back out of the office, the doors sliding behind her as she made her way out of the admin offices and back towards the campus dormitories.
She at least didn't feel like crying any more, but she was back to feeling angry again. She felt like she had cheated. Like she was handed a get out of jail free card when she was one year old and just cashed it in without choosing to. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for what the Admiral had said. He'd been very understanding... But it wasn't what she was expecting, and it wasn't what she had planned. Now tomorrow she was to going to go speak with the counsellor, and then what? She went back to class? Go over to the 602 Club on Saturday night? Just go back to normal? She didn't feel normal. She didn't feel like things could go back to normal. She didn't deserve it. She didn't want it.
As she got back to her Dorm she shut the door behind her and leaned back against it. She let her legs give out beneath her and she slowly crumpled down to the floor, resting her head on her knees as she took a deep breath. Her hand reached to her chest and pulled off her combadge. She felt it in her hand, the metal gently weighing it down.
"I don't know if this is me, dad..." she said aloud. And then she began to cry again.
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Post by Einar on Feb 7, 2019 8:49:48 GMT
wow, I am engrossed in this story already. I cannot wait for more!
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Post by pscotty90 on Feb 11, 2019 23:54:42 GMT
Four Years Ago Starfleet Academy San Francisco - Earth
Morning after Cadet Volkova's disciplinary meeting
Elena hadn't bothered putting on her uniform. Even Cadet's were encouraged to attend counsellor meetings as they saw fit. Most still attended in standard duty fatigues due to often having meetings between classes, but as it was first thing in the morning Elena really didn't see the point. She had skipped her usual morning jog but opted to wear her tracksuit pants and a loose fitting t-shirt anyway. Her hair was gathered in a tight ponytail that she hoped would hide that she'd not been bothered to have a shower yet.
Counsellor Meryl was sitting across from her. His posture was straight and businesslike which contrasted his comforting face and voice. She felt comfortable enough to scrunch up on the sofa she was sat in and prop her head up on one of the pillows. Meryl's job was to put people at ease though, which was unusual for his species. He had once joked that he was the only Andorian psychiatrist that smiled and meant it.
"How are you feeling?" He asked after the usual pleasantries.
"Well," she sighed, "I cried for about two hours last night, then finally got to sleep around oh-four-hundred when the adrenaline died off after."
"It must have been a very emotional day," he nodded in agreement, "Have you any plans to visit Rawlings in the infirmary?"
"Later today... Not really sure what I'm going to say to him."
She wondered how you actually went about apologising to someone when you punched them so hard you broke their jaw in two places. Were flowers warranted, or would a gift card do? She'd get him chocolates but there was a strong chance he'd still be drinking his meals by the time she got there.
"I'd actually let him do the talking. Providing he can talk again when you do. From what I understand he feels as guilty over the whole thing as you do."
Just like the Dean last night, everyone was being very understanding about all this. Her dorm mates were the same that morning. They got her coffee and a danish as they asked her all about what happened and told her how it was great that she wasn't getting suspended and how Rawlings really kind of deserved it. It was really starting to piss her off. She slumped forward and ran both her hands over her greasy hair in frustration.
"I don't understand what I'm still doing here," she said.
Meryl made a note on his PADD, one of the few things he did that annoyed the hell out of her. She knew she was always being examined in these meetings but she didn't like the overtness of it.
"Do you feel like you shouldn't be here?" He prodded.
"Yes!" She burst out, getting up to her feet, "I punched a class member! Why am I seemingly getting a pass for that?"
"It's hardly a pass, Cadet. You are being reprimanded. That will be on your record for a number of years."
"Five. The Dean said five years... After that it'll just be gone like it never happened."
She began to pace the room. She'd tried doing the same thing in her dorm room last night to tire herself out. It hadn't worked then either.
"You don't feel like that will hamper your career with Starfleet?" he said.
She felt something in the pit of her stomach at that. 'Career'. Why did that bother her?
"It's not that," she said, "I just feel like... Like the punishment doesn't fit the crime."
He smiled politely and leaned forward, following her with his eyes as she marched from one side of the room with the other, meeting her gaze whenever he could.
"If I might say so, Elena, I'm glad you decided to become a security officer and not a judge. I honestly think you're being too hard on yourself."
She whipped around on her heel to face him, her blood boiling.
"Why the FUCK is everyone being so nice about this!?" she yelled, at a man that she didn't care was her superior officer. He didn't care either though, it was what he was there for.
"Because we understand your circumstances."
"What circumstances? What, because I didn't grow up with my dad? Because the fact that he got blown to bits makes me a little overly sensitive?" she barely took a breath as she vented what she'd been holding in all night, "Screw that! I don't want special treatment for that! I didn't ask for it!"
Meryl's calmness was starting to get on her nerves too now. She wanted someone to yell at her. She wanted the Dean to yell at her last night. Hell, she wanted to go up down to the infirmary and have Rawling's deck her right back.
"I can understand why you wouldn't want to feel people feel sorry for you," he said as she shook her head and began pacing again, turning her back on him as he said the words, "That's not how we feel. We merely feel like you should have a second chance after a momentary loss of self control which you've not displayed before."
"And what about now? Would you count yelling at you in your office more than just a momentary loss of self control, Doc?"
"I think that clearly you have some underlying issues that this has brought to the surface that we may wish to work on."
"Yep! Papa died, it might've left a few screws loose in my brain! Let's work on that. Maybe some calm breathing exercises!"
"CADET!" He said it in that tone. The one all her drill instructors used. As she was pre-programmed to do at this point she shut her mouth and stood to attention, already facing him as she'd turned into a return pace.
She'd never heard Meryl speak like that before and wondered if he was actually pissed off at her or whether it was just him making use of her training to get her attention. Either way she suddenly realised how weird it felt. Was she already so far down the road of being just another good little officer that she didn't even think about what she was doing? She felt so silly wearing her civies and standing to attention like she was about to receive orders to drop and give twenty.
"What do you want, Cadet?" he asked, back to his Counsellor voice.
"I want to leave..." she said.
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Post by aoibheni on Feb 17, 2019 1:07:58 GMT
Well, that was an amazing read, if you don't mind me saying. Love it!
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Post by pscotty90 on Feb 17, 2019 13:08:26 GMT
Well, that was an amazing read, if you don't mind me saying. Love it! What, how dare you say something so insensitive. Why I oughta... No I don’t mind you saying so at all. Thank you! Have a part two coming soonish.
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Post by aoibheni on Feb 17, 2019 19:03:25 GMT
I am there. Yes please part two.
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Post by pscotty90 on Feb 23, 2019 1:06:23 GMT
Part 2
Six Hours Later
Modern medical technology is one of the miracles of the 24th Century. All but the most serious Terran based diseases had been made chronic if not eradicated all together. Certain genetic defects and abnormalities presented a challenge, but most could be managed to a sufficient degree. Even physical injury had been reduced to an easy fix... mostly.
When Elena had punched Matt Rawlings in the jaw she had successfully shattered it in two places, and knocked two of his teeth out. For Elena's part she could feel it. Her hand had been so stiff she could barely move it all day and a fair bit of bruising was starting to show itself around her knuckles. She hadn't broken her hand, but if she had the medics would have quickly dealt with it. A skeletal knitter applied for about twenty minutes and a hypospray to cut down on the swelling would have repaired the damage, and she likely would have had to wear a brace for a day or so followed by a recommended regiment of daily muscle exercises to help repair any tissue damage.
Rawlings' jaw was another matter. One of the breaks was a clean, but the other occurred right at the join with the rest of his skull. Due to the trauma the surrounding tissue had almost instantly swelled up and restricted his airway to begin with. His Doctors also had to deal with the breaks before they could then try to re-fix his teeth into place, but to deal with the join they had to half knit the bone back together and half force it together using a series of micro filaments. For the skilled Doctors at the Academy sickbay it was a pretty easy matter, but for Rawlings it amounted to a three hour ordeal where he couldn't feel his face, except for when the anaesthetic wore off at which point all he could feel was blinding pain. After the series of procedures were completed he was left on a recovery bed for twenty-four hours with his head in a restraining field so he couldn't talk or move.
Elena knew all this already. Partly because the Dean had been kind enough to keep her updated with Rawlings' condition, and also because she had received enough field-medic training to know roughly what he would have had to go through. She still wasn't that sorry that she had done it but she did feel very guilty for the extent of the damage she'd caused.
A day after it had happened Rawlings was close to being allowed out of the infirmary, but his jaw and the rest of his face was still going to be sore for some time to come, with the Doctors providing him with a pre-programmed hypo to deliver him a range of painkillers and anti-inflammatories to get him through the day. As Elena had entered his ward she was in time to see him once more dressed in his Cadet uniform and pulling on his boots. The nurse had warned her not to expect much conversation from him.
"Hi, Matt..." she said sheepishly.
He glanced in her direction and made a slight nod.
"I uhm... I brought you some soup." she said, handing out a thermos, "It's called Ukha. Something we make back at home."
He took the thermos and placed it on the side of the bed as he pulled at his boots, pulling his trouser leg back down over them.
"I figured you might not be able to go back to solid food for a couple of days."
He nodded again as he sat up straight. Looking at is face it was hard to see the damage, but his jawline was a little rounder than usual and there was a fatigued look in his eyes, the kind you get when you've been feeling pain for a long time and were just tired of it.
"Matt I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened. It's just... I just snapped. Maybe I was under a lot of stress or something..."
He held up a hand and cut her off. To be honest it was a slight lie. She knew exactly why she'd punched him. He'd royally pissed her off. But she had more self control than that. Or she should have.
Rawlings took a deep breath and winced as he jaw started to move slightly. When he began to speak it sounded like his mouth was filled with cotton.
"What I said..." he began slowly and carefully, "Was out of line... I'm sorry."
She could see from his eyes that he meant it. It actually meant a lot to her. More than she expected.
"Thanks." he said as he held up the flask of soup.
He stood up and moved to exit the ward. Elena figured that if he was anything like her he'd be desperate to get out of sickbay and back to his own dorm. She stepped to the side and let him pass, following close behind in silence and accompanying him as he checked himself out from the nurse's station. She stood by as he was handed his prescription hypospray and given the usual lecture on making sure he calls the doctor should he notice any of a multitude of symptoms. As the pair got to the door Rawlings waved her off.
"I guess I'll see you at D.C." It was shorthand for debate club. Not a commonly used acronym but useful when one has to remain mono-syllabic.
"Actually you won't." she said as he began to pace ahead of her, "I'm leaving..."
He turned back to her and let out a low grunt.
"Around campus then..." he said.
"No. Not just the club. I'm leaving the Academy."
At hearing this he faced her square on with a flash of anger behind his eyes.
"Dean said he would't kick you out." he mumbled. The pain seemed to be bothering him as she saw his eyes begin to water, and a slight twitch behind his cheeks.
"He didn't. The Admiral was very understanding... I just don't feel like I can stay. I'm not happy here. I don't know what I'm going to do yet but I need to go."
It was a feeling that she'd only just begun to realise over the last two days. When she hit Rawlings she had expected to be suspended, or expelled entirely. She was upset when she wasn't. It was as if she was faced with the prospect of having all of the pressure on her shoulders taken off and then when it wasn't it suddenly felt twice as heavy. She had told Counsellor Meryl the same thing this morning and after he had spent another half hour trying to suggest the possibility of letting her drop some classes to give her more free time he finally agreed that the Academy might not be best for her.
Rawlings stared at her, somehow looking more pissed off than before.
"My fault." he said.
"No! No Matt, it's not. I think I've been feeling this for a while. This just sort of made me realise it."
He nodded and waved to her. He didn't say anything else but slunk away toward the Quad and then on to his own dorm. Elena didn't feel any better but went towards her own. She and Rawlings stayed in different accommodation blocks and didn't really socialise outside of the debate club. If she was being honest she didn't even like him that much, but he was pleasant enough. A lot less arrogant than the typical astrophysics blue-shirt. If nothing else she'd miss the debates that they had.
She did feel the weight lifted off her shoulders now though. Apologising to Matt was the last responsibility she really needed to worry about. Now she just needed to pack up what few possessions she had in her room and figure out what to do next. She didn't want to go home. She couldn't face her even now. But there were friends she could visit in Russia that would take her in without question. She'd start there.
As she packed away the last of her things, dressed in her civilian clothes and having recycled her cadet uniforms in the replicator, all she really had left to do was wait for her room mates to get home and say good-bye.
All Academy dorms were divided into apartments that carried a mix of cadet colours. The thought was that by having apartments that were mixed between command, tactical, engineering and science divisions it would foster a sense of teamwork that was needed on a starship. Academy graduates were all meant to be polymaths anyway but it was important not to make one division feel isolated from the others. Her own roommates were a good group. The best really. She needed to see them off before she went.
While she waited she spent some time tapping out letters on her work-console. She wanted to thank some of her tutors and instructors who had believed in her and helped her forward over the years. She cried a couple of times, feeling as though she was letting them down. But still knowing this was right for her.
While she was working on a letter to her first year biochemistry teacher a chime came through on her console. She noted a message had come through to her and assumed that it was one of her tutors already having got back to her. She was more surprised to find it was sent from Rawlings.
Elena,
I needed to send this letter. It's not like I can talk right now.
Honestly, if you feel like you can't be here any more then you should go. But while we've never been friends I've known you since you got here and I know that at one time you were happy at the Academy. You threw yourself into doing more than almost any other cadet and you always helped others. That might sound a bit sentimental but it's how a lot of people here think of you.
Just do me a favour. Call it what you owe me for the jaw. Don't just quit. Put in for a leave of absence. If after a while you decide you definitely want to quit then you can. But at least you have the option to come back. Do that, and we're even.
Thanks for the soup.
Matt
As she heard the door open and close in the other room, indicating that at least one of her roommates was back she opened up a message to reply to him.
I'll think about it. Was all she said, but she felt he may be right. Still it wasn't really the time to think about it.
It was Friday night. All her friends would be home soon. And they had a hell of a party to throw tonight.
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Post by pscotty90 on Feb 26, 2019 0:29:35 GMT
A few hours after a frantic few moments involving several Starfleet officers, a heavily pregnant Doctor and a usually unflappable Admiral suddenly looking very nervous, either for her officer or for the state of her carpet Elena Volkova returned to her quarters.
She’d taken out temporary quarters aboard the Starbase while the Zorya was undergoing repairs. Unfortunately during their last little adventure her cabin had been the rather unfortunate victim of a hull breach, leading herself and several other ship personnel to move out for a while. It did at least feel like a proper vacation. Her room aboard the station was almost three times the size of that aboard Zorya and she even had a huge window to look out of.
She sighed as the doors closed behind her and she collapsed on the nearby sofa. Her hand mindlessly wandered up to her collar as she fiddled with the new single pip that was there, not even aware she was doing it any more. She felt exhausted.
After everything that had happened during the Admiral’s rather impromptu award ceremony Elena had found herself in a bit of a daze. She’d celebrated for a while. She’d gone to the Quartermaster’s office to get her uniform updated. But then she just ended up walking the station.
At first she idly explored the promenade, observing some of the ships that were coming and going from the Starbase. Then she found herself in a few of the museums and art galleries that were dotted around. Some of the exhibits were in fact very interesting, featuring history and art works from worlds throughout the sector. Finally though she’d found herself in the station Arboretum.
The arboretum aboard a Federation Starbase was often something of a sight to behold in of itself. A cavernous hall that would have made Tolkien-esque Dwarves jealous while being filled with flora and fauna from dozens of worlds (all completely harmless life forms of course) that formed almost an entire forest in of itself. Part of the reason for its size was that it helped to support the Environmental systems aboard, allowing the air to take on a more natural quality then you’d usually get aboard a starship or smaller station. The extra oxygen production also meant that life support didn’t need to operate at full power except in the case of emergencies.
The pragmatism of the area also extended to the two ponds that were positioned at either end of the section which, as well as being a pleasant area to be in, also provided access to the accommodation section for aquatic and amphibian species staying at the station. As Elena passed by one she was somewhat amused by the sight of a loving couple being rudely interrupted by a drysuit-clad Aquatic Xindi emerging from the water and heading down an adjoining corridor. They had decided to move once they realised they could still hear the Xindi’s mechanised legs stomping down the hallway.
Along the outside of the walls and towards the ceiling also hung further crew quarters for Avian and Arboreal species that were likewise filled with further plant life, though at that particular moment few races were aboard to fill them. Occasionally a human or otherwise humanoid race would request to stay in one of these more specialised quarters for the novelty, but often found that they lacked the required tree climbing skills. The one Aurelian that Elena had spotted around the station probably didn’t receive guests very often.
There was however a very specific reason why Elena had gone to the Arboretum though and that was for the rain system. A set of ceiling sprinklers that periodically activated and slowly moved across the hall. If a person timed it right, they could step into the arboretum at the moment the sprinkler system started and walk from one end to the other, being followed by the rain. She had let it soak her all the way through, despite wearing her new uniform.
Now back in her cabin her clothes were soaking into the sofa too. Fortunately she’d received very few looks as she made her way back. Indulging in the rain system was something that many people aboard the station indulged in, some fairly frequently. It was just one of those comforts from home that people missed. That’s what Elena needed.
Weather was something you just didn’t get in space. You could sort of recreate it on a Holodeck but it just didn’t feel the same. It was one of the reasons why so many officers in Starfleet got giddy at the sight of an undiscovered M-Class planet. It meant the opportunity for surveys and away missions and indulging in the climate of their choice... Depending on what the climate of the M-World in question was.
Even though Elena hadn’t been out in space long, today she felt like she needed that taste of home.
Her fingers felt around her new pip again, but then they felt the empty fabric next to it. She wasn’t thinking of being promoted to Ensign but what came after. Next time she was going to have a superior officer hand her a new pip it was going to be a black one. She’d be a Lieutenant. Junior Grade. The same rank her father was when he died.
She sat up and ran a hand through her soaked hair before getting to her feet. The process of peeling off her uniform took a little effort as she grabbed a set of dry pyjamas from her nightstand and dried herself off before returning to the living room area, grabbing herself a cup of tea from the replicator and sat down in a much drier armchair.
“Computer, please begin recording.” She ordered as the computer chimed in response.
“Hi Mama, it’s me.
Wait! Please don’t stop listening.
I just wanted to tell you that I did it. I’m an Ensign now. I mean I know to you that’s a pretty terrible thing to hear but I hope that somewhere deep down you can be a little proud of me. I like to think dad would have been. Would he? It’s just that I need to know that even if you’re not, would he have been?
A lot’s happened to me since I left. I think I lost my way for a while. And I still don’t know if i’ve found it yet. I almost died on my first mission… So… Maybe you were right. Maybe I will end up like dad. It doesn’t matter though. I’m afraid. But that won’t stop me. I miss home. But I’m not coming back.
I just need you to know that I’m doing alright. Even after everything we said each other, I figure you might want to know that much. I’m… not happy. I’m not sure I’m ever going to be happy anywhere any more. But I’m going to keep going anyway.
Bye Mama.”
She finished with tears in her eyes and commanded the computer to send it as a message to her home in Murmansk. As she wiped her face she turned the lights out and went to bed.
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