Changes Abound

Posted on 11/22/2020 @ 6:14pm by

“So, what do you think?”

Kiernan emerged from the bathroom, a hand towel drying off his now clean-shaven face, a towel wrapped around his thin waist. It had been several years since he last was clean shaven. A trimmed beard was his norm, but he needed a change, something different. It may not last long, but it would be something new. Otis lifted himself up from a laying position, looked at his human, tilted his head and then laid back down. Kiernan giggled at the reaction as he moved to the dresser to pull out a clean t-shirt and boxers.

“Oskar will be surprised, I’m sure he will react much different than you,” Kiernan said, directing his words toward his beloved pug. As usual the pug didn’t even flinch. He removed the towel that was wrapped around his trim waist and pulled on the clothing he pulled out. He gave himself a once over in the full-length mirror, and realized he barely recognized the man who was staring back. The moment he shaved off the beard, he lost years. He knew, once again, was staring at the person he was all those years ago when he entered the Academy, fresh faced and a bit naïve. Now, in his early thirties, and multiple degrees and certifications later, he was far from that young naïve eighteen-year-old.

He moved from the bedroom, to the living area and settled himself at his desk. He tapped a couple of commands into his desk terminal and began his personal log.

“I shaved my beard. Weird, right? I just thought the change would be good, or at least something different. I don’t know, I may grow it back right away but who knows, maybe Oskar will like it. Or hate it. Well, either way I shaved it off and now I look like a first-year cadet once again. I feel like I have leapt back in time. I didn’t even recognize the person I was looking at in the mirror. Such an odd feeling.

But anyway…”

Kiernan paused for a moment, got up, and ordered a mug of ginger spice tea. He picked up the steaming mug and then sat back down.

“I received a message from my publisher wondering if my next collection of poems was ready to go. I have several ready to go, but with this transfer and subsequent away mission, I hadn’t had time to really send anything off. Paul, the person I work with, has been on me to get this done. It is funny how these publishers work, it is if they want to be the center of the universe. Paul had made it clear to me early on that they published very few things that came from Starfleet officers, he considered us officers unreliable, though he understood why… but did he? Starfleet came first, being a scientist came after that. But, because I am a sucker for deadlines, I always met them. This was the first time I had missed one, but I had a good excuse.”

He brought the mug to his lips and took a small sip. He always ordered the spiced tea extra hot; the steam carried the smell longer and relaxed him. Plus, there was something with the act of sipping a hot tea that was relaxing. It brought him back to his childhood, after a day of playing outside in the cold in his Southside neighborhood. His mom would always have hot cocoa and cookies waiting for him. The hot cocoa was always steaming, and he had to sip it slowly so he wouldn’t burn his tongue.

“Truth be told, I’m still struggling with what happened on the away mission to The Auction House base. Oskar and I had a discussion that turned into almost a fight because I am reluctant to try to deal with what I’m feeling. I just am feeling sad, heartbroken over it, so much loss in such a short amount of time. But I also feel so much guilt, I was right there, right beside Lieutenant Syndel and she just shoved me aside like I was nothing. I just wonder if I was bigger, stronger, I could have stopped her. Oskar tells me not to think like that, but it is hard not to.”

Kiernan let go of a sigh as once again those moments clouded his thoughts. He thought back, he felt the shove, he could see the anger in Larissa’s eyes, the fury dripped off her in such a way that he could almost taste it. He watched in horror as she flicked the intensity button on the phaser, and his eyes went wide as he watched the particle beam hit the Orion guard. He wanted to look away, but couldn’t, he was too much in shock to even move. He didn’t even remember getting to his feet, he was on auto-pilot, and before he knew it, he was being transported back to the Crazy Horse.

“Oskar highly suggested that I seek out the counselor, but I just don’t feel comfortable around Counselor Richards. I’m sure she is a fine counselor, but I don’t know… my dealings with her on the away mission just was not what I expected. Then again, I don’t know her, I’m still very much new to this crew. If I see her in the corridor or on the bridge, I will say hello, ask how she is doing, the whole small talk thing – but that has been the extent of my interaction. In fact, that has really been my extent with most of the crew. I have yet to even meet with the captain, but I also understand, Oskar and I transferred here in the middle of a mission. I was brought into the talks on the mission right away and then placed on the away mission. The captain was busy having to coordinate everything. Though, I’m not worried about it, he will reach out when he feels he has the time to.

“I’ll see what I can do in the next few days, concerning counseling and go from there. I am really hesitant to do this, but I fear Oskar will drag me there if I don’t do something. Other than that, I am just being prepared to testify at Larissa’s court martial. This is all so new to me, I’m just a mere scientist, a person who hardly ever left his lab. I’ve never had to deal with a – and I use this term loosely – murder, and I certainly never had to deal with JAG.

“I’ll see how this goes, but the plus side of all this is that we will be back at earth. It will give me a bit of chance to visit my family and maybe introduce Oskar to my parents proper. My pa loves Oskar already, but my ma is harder to read. I think she was hoping that her son would be with a good Irish lad, but Oskar is far from Irish. However, I’m sure my ma will change her mind once she meets him in person. At least I hope so, maybe… who the hell knows. My ma is a weird one like that, Irish to the core and then some. How odd to say such things in the twenty-fourth century, but there ya have it, sometimes traditions just go through the generations without interruption. Nevertheless, I look forward to seeing them, and I look forward to showing Oskar around Milwaukee. It will be a nice change of pace, especially to be planet side for a little bit. Starship life is fine and all, but a planet, with it’s real gravity and real atmosphere is and always will be superior.

“I guess that is it… oh hi there buddy…”

At that point, Otis walked into the living room and yawned. He plodded over to the replicator and sat in front of it, his head tilted up and his tongue hanging out. Kiernan couldn’t help but smile as he knew exactly what the pug was looking for. His dinner.

“Computer, end personal log.”

Kiernan closed out his terminal and stood up to go to the replicator. He ordered Otis’s meal and placed it with a fresh bowl of water in the spot where the pug ate. He watched his dog chow down before he turned back to the replicator to start dinner.

**

A post by:
Lieutenant Kiernan M. Gallagher VII, PhD
Chief Science Officer
USS Crazy Horse

&

Otis the Pug