Story [Star Trek] Coming Together Again. For DDC.

Entry Seven

Mom and Dad said how great it was having me back home, even if temporarily.

"How do you like your work on the Enterprise?" They wanted to know.

I sent them regular messages sharing what I could of missions and relating what I did on my down time and the friendships I'd formed.

I sensed this was more of a "Now that you're back home, might you want to take a job like the one you held beforehand?"

I smiled confidently. "I wasn't looking for grand adventure or exploring for its own sake, and there are certainly advantages to being in one place and having a set address, but I want to see this tour to its conclusion, at the very least. I'll weigh my options when that time comes."

I didn't mention that a certai someone would have a strong say in whatever path I chose.

It wasn't due to uncertainty over the strength of Jim's and my relationship; it was simply that the time to discuss our post-tour options had arrived yet.

There was a chance, however slim, that he would make his own decision and I would be only peripherally involved.

I didn't think (nor did I want) that to be the case, but I would be foolish to count it as definite, written in granite, until we had an actual discussion.

~

Entry Eight

Then there was Tenetra's offer… She praised me again for my contribution.

She said, "I have certainly no shortage of competent agents in the command staff and in the field, but few match your quick out of the box thinking, Audrey. I'd love it if you came back to work with us again."

"Thank you, Tenetra," I said, feeling a genuine rush of gratification, "But I am in the middle of my Enterprise tour and I would hate to break that off, and I would miss the friends I've made there."

She smiled. "I understand. The offer will be there whenever your tour ends." She paused, then asked, "I have to know. The HoloWeb feeds, both reputable and disreputable sources, have quite a lot to say about your Captain. I don't pay attention to the extreme views, that he can do no wrong, versus he's totally reckless and never hesitates to jump right into the fray."

I chuckled. "That latter viewpoint is closer to the truth than I like to admit, but it's not borne of ignorance or overconfidence. He just doesn't like to ask his crew to do things he isn't willing to as well, and as for the out of box thinking you credited me with, he takes that to an entirely new level."

"He has quite the track record of pulling out the impossible."

"Yes, and that reminds me of something my friend Nyota mentioned to me once. In the early days of his command, arising as it did so precipitously, Dr. Len McCoy was quite skeptical of Jim's leadership acumen, saying it was just 'beginner's luck,' or that as he phrased it, "A blind squirrel will be able to find a couple nuts once in a great while.' But when Jim kept pulling off the surprising, even remarkable feats, he won everyone's loyalty and respect."

She laughed. "I sense more than a little admiration..."

I blushed. "Busted. We do have a personal relationship, not one we sought per se, but we certainly were glad to pursue it when it became obvious we were both interested."

I sent Jim and Nyota a message telling of Uncle Xavier's recovery and the satisfactory conclusion of my work with Tenetra, and it was arranged that I would go to a Starbase near the Enterprise's current location to rendezvous in a couple weeks' time.

They replied that they were happy on all counts.

Before I was due to leave, however, I encountered an old friend from university, whom I hadn't seen in years, Aiden Truesdale.

--

 

Entry 7 gives me a certain set of feels, visiting my own parents over spring break and it very much feels like a number of conversations I've had with my own folks.

Entry 8. she's getting pulled in multiple directions and can appreciate Audrey choosing to stay with the enterprise. The whole conversation about what the news has to say regarding the enterprise, and the more extreme reactions on both sides. The truth is always somewhere in between, though Audrey confessing how the good captain can be a bit reckless is a fun bit of clarity. But when they work? Not everyone can do what this crew does that's for sure.

Love the turn of phrase, and the words chosen here do a lot to carry the characters personalities and I can almost hear them!

This one is just all around sweet.

 

Love those entries. Being with your parents and Tenetra's offer. But she will return to the Enterprise and her true friend

 

I have a friend whose work entails travelling a lot, and every time she comes home she gets the same shtick as Audrey, both from her family and from people who want to offer her jobs. Some things are universal, it would seem My guess is, though, that Tenetra was quicker to grasp that there's a certain someone keeping Audrey aboard the Enterprise, or it may just be that her parents are less willing to pry

I'm curious about this Aiden Truesdale. I sense that Audrey's adventures dirtside aren't over yet, and this person she hasn't seen in years will have a hand in it.

 

Entry Nine

I was window shopping and was about to stop by a cafe for a lobster roll and salad when I heard someone call my name.

I turned and saw someone who looked like someone I hadn't seen in ages.

"Yes?"

"It's me, Aiden." He said, coming closer.

He looked, as Nyota would doubtless point out, like a holovid star with dark curls and vivid green eyes.

"Aiden! It's been longer than I want to admit." I chuckled giving him a side hug. "How've you been?"

"I'm well. I'm doing research at the nearby hospital on technical enhancements for physical therapy, smart bots, etc."

"Ooh, that sounds interesting." I said. "I'm glad you were able to break into that field."

"Last I heard you were in the 'Fleet off on a mission?"

"Yes, I came home briefly to help wwith a work/family situation, which is resolved. I'm due to leave in a week or so."

He smiled. "When we were at university, we were each so sure of our career paths. Looks like we each got where we wanted to go. Often that doesn't happen as seamlessly as you'd hope."

Aiden and I had dated somewhat casually our last year at university and had parted amicably enough.

We decided now spontaneously to have lunch and catch up some more.

It was amazing how easily we settled back into our lighthearted banter and warm camaraderie.

"There's a jazz concert at the park this evening," Aiden said, "I know how much you like that sort of thing. I'd love it if you'd join me?"

"Thanks for mentioning it. I would like to go. It'll probably be quite the while before I can enjoy that sort of thing live." I remarked.

We arranged to meet at the park at 7:00.

~

 

Meeting an old friend for dinner and catching up. Interesting, I wonder where this will lead.

 

An old friend and lover, what will happen next?

 

Hmmm. That's a lot of homecomings for Audrey. Reconnecting with her folks, reconnecting with her old job, and now reconnecting with an ex from university... I'd be surprised if the whole thing didn't start giving her doubts about her chosen career path – as she said herself about the jazz concert, there are things that you just can't have when you're in deep space.

 

Super insight! This is raising questions Audrey didn't consider or hasn't yet: what do I want to do after the Enterprise mission ends? How will that dovetail with Jim's preferences?

 

Entry Ten

Aiden and I enjoyed the concert very much. We indulged in baked pretzels with mustard and cold fizzy sodas.

Aiden asked me during intermission if I was going to come back or stay offworld.

I frowned, and considered. I hadn't really thought about it. I assumed that when the time came I'd know which was the right thing to do.

It goes without saying that Jim's preferences would weigh in the matter, but how much should or would they?

Being with my family again made me realize how much I enjoyed being in one place, even though exploring and facing challenges and overcoming them was exciting, and the crew of the Enterprise was like a second family; yet, I knew that at mission's end, most of us would scatter and go into different pursuits and thus be more in the category of lifelong friends who occasionally are able to meet up in person.

Aiden ended by saying he wouldn't mind if I came back here and we were able to see each other more. I didn't get the sense he meant it romatnically, just as friends, so I said merely: "It's too soon to know for sure what I'll do, but I'll definitely be in a position eventually to visit more often."

~

 

Yes, getting older and at the end of a mission will do that. But she will know?

 

Does she stay or does she go, good questions to ask.
At a certain point we all crave stability.

 

This is the real question, isn't it? Audrey has a real thing going on with Jim, but she has strong bonds to people who don't live in space, whereas we know him to be pretty committed (or even addicted) to his exploration missions. She's going to have to choose the life she will have, and it will necessarily entails sacrificing something.

 

Entry Eleven

It's strange how all my questions dissolved when I arrived back on the Enterprise surrounded by friends, Jim, and a familiar routine. They did not become irrelevant but I simply felt that eventually situations would unfold and clarity would come. Which indeed, incidentally, is what happened through the next mission we undertook.

The mission briefing made it appear like the crisis was something we could easily resolve, not likely to throw a curveball.

That is, until we arrived on world...

 

Intriguing entry. What happened on world...?

 

I'd be careful if I were Audrey, because answers that come in the middle of a crisis may or may not be the right ones... But I can understand that, once she's back in her element, so to speak, she feels confident that she'll be able to work out her issues in the back of her mind while she does her day job. And now I'm super-curious about this mission; what is happening there?

 

Thanks for the insightful comment. It's not the crisis per se that informs her choice or leads to clarity. It's more the way it's handled and what that tells her about herself and Jim and the Enterprise crew that leads to clarity.

These are things she's known and seen before but in this immediate context and with the recent experience of 'going home', it puts things in perspective emotionally.

 

CLIFFY, good to see answers coming! I hope they're good ones, and I can't wait to hear about this mission. Action in Star Trek is always very interesting.