Living Relic

Posted on 28 Oct 2016 @ 12:18pm by Cadet Lauren Hickory & Captain Nathan Cowell MD

Mission: Prelude; Breakfast at Curmudgeon's
Location: Deck 1 - Captain's Ready Room - USS Arizona
Timeline: MD -1: 0800 hours

There was a general consensus on the matter... 'cadets belong in the classroom, not aboard a starship' at least that was the usual rhetoric spewed about by Professors and Instructors at Starfleet Academy who had always been or had recently formed the opinion in response to several incidents over the years which of course included the USS Valiant incident of the 2370s. Leave it up to Red Squad to make things incredibly difficult for everyone else albeit the incident and repercussions from said incident occurred long before Cadet Lauren Hickory set foot in an Academy lecture hall or classroom. Fortunately, over the years some opportunities still came up even if you were not 'good enough' for Red Squad, Omega Squad, or any of the coveted places the brown nosed cadets were accepted into.

The USS Arizona. She was a fine starship and quite large, her prestige and reputation greatly preceded her. Walking down the corridors of the Sovereign, the twenty one year old senior year cadet was dressed in a crisp, wrinkle free, and extraordinarily starched uniform to give him added novelty. His hair was properly trimmed according to Starfleet regulations and was styled in a manner befitting that of an experienced officer albeit he was no officer... not yet at least and his experience was all classroom theory and holographic simulations. His boots were black and so well polished they were practically obsidian mirrors.

This was it. This was what he had been waiting the past few years for and the holiday gift had come early for him. He was going to serve one academic year, his final year aboard this starship well before earning his actual officer's commission. All he had to do was get into the turbo lift, ride it confidently up to deck one, exit the lift with a stern strut across the Bridge and walk into the Captain's Ready Room and shake the man's hand as he handed over his order from the Academy Commandant and his academic advisor, both of whom had arranged and approved of this for Cadet Hickory... an experience of a lifetime.

So far so good. Everything had gone smoothly from stepping into the turbolift, to exiting it and strutting across the Bridge. Now, all that was left was meeting the living relic himself, Captain Nathan Cowell. The Cadet pressed the door chime and waited for a response before proceeding onward into the Captain's Ready Room after the doors parted ways. He approached the man's desk, stood at attention and handed the PaDD with his orders across the desk. "Cadet Lauren E. Hickory, Senior Year Starfleet Academy reporting to the USS Arizona, Sir," he said nailing it as though he had rehearsed it several times over which he had.

Captain Nathan Cowell stared at the youthful Cadet, a stare that seemed to look right through him. It was the icy glare of someone who had lived a dozen lifetimes and had seen more than any one man or women ought to. The Old Man didn't move for a moment as he regarded the man that was, as far as Nathan was concerned, little more than an infant.

"What are you reporting, the weather?" the Captain said finally with a gruff tone. He held his hand out expectantly, waiting for the Cadet to hand over his authorization paperwork. Out of all the meetings he had to suffer with new arrivals, this was one that he couldn't actually just half-ass and be done with. He actually had to sign the orders and transmit them the right way, since the boy standing before him wasn't actually his, in terms of posting. Until he actually put on the gold pip of an Ensign, he belonged to Starfleet Academy before anything else... and they actually cared about their rules.

The Cadet smiled and let out a small short burst of a laugh. I like your sense of humor...I think thought the young cadet. However, Cadet Hickory looked at the Captain and saw wrinkles, lots of wrinkles and age spots. No knowing the man was hundreds or years old, the young man did suspect the man had seen several decades go by already and probably more than one as a Captain. "If the Captain so pleases, then yes. I'll report the weather on the worlds of his choosing if he'd permit me access to a functioning console" replied Lauren.

"Is everything in order, Sir?" asked Lauren as he observed the Captain scrutinize the PaDD's content as though he were looking for some sort of encrypted message. "Be careful, Captain... it could very well be a bureaucratic trap. I'm on the Security track at the Academy and having me aboard probably will not be a walk in the park for you. I'm here but not actually your's per se and yet if I get injured or goodness forbid killed while aboard your starship or under the command of any of your officers, they may hold you personally liable... I know it sucks," said Lauren with a sigh.

Nathan glared at the Cadet just long enough to get the point across that he wasn't interested in his feedback at that particular moment before returning to the PaDD. One item of interest that caught Nathan's attention was that the boy had a dual major, and that they didn't compliment one another in the least. A security cadet that liked history... It didn't fit until he took notice of the family demographic information the Academy had provided. It didn't matter that he wasn't one himself, being raised by a Ferengi was enough to make anyone regardless of species fall victim to their philanthropic mindset. And it explained his mouth a bit too. Captain Cowell had never met a Ferengi that could shut up longer than five minutes, and it only got worse when they were nervous.

The Old Man affixed his thumb print to the orders and logged them with the appropriate entities before throwing the PaDD on his desk as if it were a useless flat of plastic, "So, why did you ask to be put on this ship, out of all the ships in the Fleet."

Lauren couldn't help but snicker at that wording. "Ask," he said repeating the Captain's word choice. "Is that what they put on those orders... that I asked to serve on the Arizona?" he said shaking his head. "I mean no offense Captain. Your starship is glorious and I can tell there's history in her corridors. However, I did not get much of a say in what starship they sent me to. They picked the Arizona and sent me your way," explained Cadet Hickory. "Perhaps, they felt you were the best Commanding Officer for me to learn from?"

"You could have said no," the Captain said flatly, "But here you are. So you must have had a reason to want to spend an extra year of
your career on a boat."

The Cadet smirked and shook his head. "What's a year in the field compared to a year in the classroom? I can learn a heck of a lot more out here on the Arizona than I can sitting in classrooms and lecture halls being taught by those who lost the will to explore and settled for a cushy office," replied the Cadet. "Ship," added Cadet Hickory. "My career on a ship. By most maritime historical standards, the Sovereign class would definitely constitute as a ship rather than a boat."

"Maybe, but back when I was with the Army, anything that could go somewhere other ships couldn't was called a boat. And this here boat, or rather the one that came before it, went a fair few places no other ship in the Fleet would have the balls to go. So this here is a boat, in every way that counts. She's pretty, I'll give her that, but this old girl is bound for parts that ain't exactly friendly. And speaking of your career, since you brought it up," The Old Man leaned back in his chair, "You being still a student and all, your fourth year is usually the busiest at the Academy. Doesn't leave you much free time. I know this for a fact because I used to teach at Starfleet Medical... started doing that back in '47 and didn't stop until '71 when I took a little break from workin'. Don't think anyone could blame me, I'd been in Starfleet 68 years by that point. I think I've got about 85 in now... give or take... But that wasn't the point. The point is, with you being on this here boat, you're missing out on the time honored tradition of being overloaded with stuff to do. So I'm going to make sure you don't miss out. Whenever Sunshine doesn't have anything for you to train on, you'll be filling in as my Yeoman. You'll be filling out all the paperwork, running reports between the departments, and anything else I don't feel like doing. That way, when you meet up with one of your classmates that was stuck in the lecture halls wishing they were anywhere else, you can say the same thing."

"Geez Louise, how old are you?!" replied the Cadet, immediately covering his mouth and looking at the Captain apologetically. "Sorry, Captain. I mean Yes sir... anything you say Sir," he said nodding profusely. 68 years in Starfleet... Army? He's human right? the Cadet looked at the man curiously. Android? No no no. Couldn't be an Android unless an incredibly old one, he thought to himself. "Boat... ship... barge, whatever you call her, she's better than a classroom."

"I'm 610 this year..." the Captain answered the Cadet's initial question, "I'm El-Aurian, kid. I just blend in real well with the locals. You got any other questions, boy, or have you blurted out all the ones that were burning a hole in your head?"

No Sir, Big Daddy, thought Cadet Hickory. "Nah, I think I'll just keep quiet now, pops," he said with the final word slipping out through the crack of his closing lips. "Captain" he corrected himself. But you look like someone's little grandfather, he thought privately as he fought off a smirk.

"Alright then... get the hell out of my office, ya slacker. And don't hit any diners on the way either, it's a school night and you know how them milkshakes make you jump and jive too damn much," the Old Man said in a very New York accent.

Oh please don't let this be a dry ship thought Hickory. "Right...milkshakes. Yeah, I just go all crazy if I stay up passed my bedtime and have too many of them milkshakes. I'll go settle in my quarters and then see the Doctor" added Hickory before leaving the Captain's sight.