Friendships In The Stars

Posted on Tue Jun 25th, 2013 @ 2:26pm by Lieutenant Aniela Darvetti & Lieutenant Ophelia Lysander

Mission: Episode 1.2 - "A Friend in Need..."
Location: Aft Viewing Lounge
Timeline: MD 01, 1915

[[USS Yorktown, Aft Viewing Lounge, MD 01, 1915]]

It was amazing to Ophelia just how many billions upon billions of planets and stars existed in their universe. As she stood before a large viewport in the aft viewing lounge with Hazel (PNPC) balanced on her hip, she felt that she could well understand some of her daughter’s childlike wonder for herself. “Look at the purplish one over there, Hazel. I bet that’s a planet,” she said, pointing to a point of luminous light far off in the distance. “Do you think we’ll go there one day?” Hazel smiled as she looked on but said nothing, content for the moment to examine the jeweled expanse in silence. It would only be so long before her attention wandered again, but Ophelia was happy to enjoy the quiet moment while it lasted.

After her shift and a much needed dinner, Aniela had made her way to the viewing lounge, hoping to relax as she stared out at space. When she entered, however, she saw Ophelia and a young girl who she presumed was the doctor's daughter. A smile crossed her lips and Aniela approached them, "Good evening, Doctor....And I presume this is your daughter?"

Turning in place to greet the new arrival, Ophelia was pleased to see it was Lieutenant Darvetti. “Good evening, Lieutenant. How nice to see you out of Sickbay,” she smiled warmly. “And you presume correctly. This is my daughter Hazel. Hazel, this is my new friend Aniela,” she said, her voice more enthusiastic now for her daughter’s sake. For her part, Hazel regarded Aniela with open curiosity, giving her a shy smile before laying her head on Ophelia’s shoulder and leaning further into her arms. “She’s a little shy at first, but she’ll warm up,” Ophelia assured Aniela.

Aniela couldn't help but smile at the young girl. She nodded to Ophelia, indicating she understood, before addressing Hazel, "Hello Hazel, it's very nice to meet you. It looks like your mommy is perhaps showing you some of the stars and planets, hmm?"

“Stars,” Hazel murmured, as if testing her power of speech in front of a new face, and then pointed at the viewpoint without taking her eyes off of Aniela. Sensing that Hazel was already starting to warm up, Ophelia entered the conversation again. “We were just looking at that purple one over there, weren’t we, Hazel? Maybe Aniela can tell us what it is. She’s a science officer and therefore knows much more about these things than mummy does,” she laughed quietly.

Moving closer to the viewports, Aniela's eyes searched for the purple star or planet that Ophelia had indicated. Not many planets appeared purple from space, but it wasn't particularly uncommon either. "That is most likely a Class K or Class L planet. It looks to be purple from space because of metals or gases on the planet. Do you like looking at the stars, Hazel? When I was a child I liked to do that...and you know what? My mother is a doctor too," Aniela told the girl, glancing afterward over at Ophelia.

Hazel looked out the viewport for a moment before looking back at Aniela, her smile having grown considerably wider in the meantime. Ophelia knew from experience that this was for all intents and purposes Hazel’s seal of approval. “Stars are pretty. I like purple,” the little girl stated in a small but clear voice. “She does at that,” Ophelia commented. “Her room is practically a study in shades of purple.” Curious, she asked Aniela, “Was your mother a doctor in Starfleet, then?”

Chuckling at Ophelia's comment about Hazel's room, Aniela replied, "Perhaps sometime Hazel can show me her glorious purple room then." It was nice to see a child taking interest in space and, in a way, science. "No, she's not a StarFleet doctor. My father works for StarFleet as an engineer, though."

“We can arrange for a tour of the glorious purple room at any time,” Ophelia chuckled, appreciating Aniela’s subtle humor. “I was hoping to ask for your input on being the child of a Starfleet physician, but I suppose that’s no longer applicable,” she explained with an easy smile. “Plenty of mothers have worked in Starfleet before me, but sometimes it’s…interesting. Challenging, even, if we’re to avoid euphemisms.”

“My mummy is in Starfleet,” Hazel chimed in then, her confidence apparently growing in leaps and bounds now. “That means we get to live in the stars.” Ophelia smiled at her, pleased to see some of her precociousness shining through. That generally meant that she was feeling comfortable, and while they were still settling into their new home, seeing her daughter comfortable and at ease meant the world to Ophelia.

Aniela nodded to Ophelia, "Whenever you'd like to provide a tour, I think I handle that. I can only imagine how interesting it must be. Even as an only child, I think my parents found it challenging due to their careers." Turning to the child, a smile spread across her face as she replied, "That's right, Hazel, you do get to live in the stars. And you know what? I bet a lot of little girls and boys wish they could live in the stars too. I did, when I was little."

Judging by the look on Hazel's face, the three-year-old was thinking very carefully over Aniela's statement. "You live in the stars now," she finally said, offering what could only be described as a consoling smile. Ophelia shifted her daughter's weight, her arms growing a little sore as the conversation continued. "Aniela even studies things like stars now," she told her daughter. "You could do that one day too if you wanted. Grandmother K'Tel would love to have another science officer in the family," she chuckled.

"Yes, I do, Hazel; I enjoy studying the stars and anomalies in space. They can be very beautiful," Aniela explained with a smile. Of course, they could also be deadly, but no need to bother the child with that thought. "There's never any harm in having another science officer in the family," she chuckled, "and I'd be happy to teach you more about the stars if you'd like Hazel."

Hazel glanced back at her mother, as if looking for her approval. At Ophelia's encouraging nod, Hazel turned back to Aniela again with a very enthusiastic smile, nodding her head. "I like the stars," she said softly, leaning her head back against Ophelia's chest as shyness apparently took over once again. Ophelia wasn't especially surprised by that. Since Hazel was only three, she still had moments of uncertainty here and there. "Maybe we could even visit you in your natural habitat sometime, Lieutenant Darvetti," Ophelia suggested with a smile. "I don't think that Hazel's ever been to a science lab before. I'm not really sure how much of it she'd understand, but it never hurts to start them young."

Smiling warmly at Hazel for a moment, Aniela turned her attention to Ophelia, not wanting to make the girl uncomfortable. "I would be glad to show you around. Astrometrics might be particularly interesting...and since we're on a shoreleave of sorts anyway, I might be able to find a few other interesting things to show her. Speaking of which, do you have plans for shoreleave?"

Ophelia had been wondering that herself. She wanted to spend as much time as possible with Hazel, of course. Fortunately, all was in hand in Sickbay, so she anticipated that she'd have several opportunities for a small adventure or two with her daughter in the days to come. "I was hoping to take Hazel to the planet's surface at least once or twice. Who knows how many opportunities we'll have to visit Cardassia again, and Hazel doesn't often get the chance to put her feet on solid ground," she replied. "Were you planning on going down to the planet yourself?"

That was an excellent question. Was she? "To be honest, I hadn't decided," Aniela answered truthfully. "I know there's some cultural sites and it's a rare opportunity to visit Cardassia, so I imagine I probably will. I should probably get a few things situated in my department first, but after that...I'll probably make at least one or two trips down."

"You really ought to try, I think," Ophelia smiled. "And you could always join Hazel and me if you're starved for company." Speaking of Hazel, the little girl had grown rather bored of her mother's conversation by now and was beginning to fidget. One look at her daughter's tired eyes told Ophelia that it was fast approaching bedtime. "Well, I think Hazel and I should be returning to our quarters now, unless you'd like to see the full wrath of a tired Vulcan/Betazoid/Human little girl when it gets too late past her bedtime. It's not very pretty," she chuckled.

Aniela grinned, "I think I'll pass on that for now. But I will let you know if I'd like to join you on Cardassia. If you decide when you'll be going, please let me know. It was nice talking to you and your daughter." She gave a little goodbye wave to Hazel.

"Say goodbye to Aniela, Hazel," Ophelia gently encouraged the three-year-old. Hazel hesitated, once again leaning back against her mother. For a moment, Ophelia assumed that Hazel was too tired to do more than blink shyly at the science officer, but a few seconds later the little girl quietly spoke up. "Bye, Anella," she said, offering a small wave of her own. "Live long and prosper." Looking over her daughter's head, Ophelia laughed softly. "It started out as something of a joke and a nod to her heritage, but it's turned into her preferred form of farewell," she explained.

Chuckling, the Chief Science Officer replied, "Well, there's nothing wrong with that." Though Aniela noticed Hazel's mispronunciation of her name, she chose not to mention it. The small girl was only three, after all, and it was cute in a way. "Live long and prosper, Hazel."

Feeling as though she really ought to participate in the Vulcan form of farewell also, being part Vulcan herself, Ophelia raised her hand in the Vulcan salute. That particular feat had yet to be mastered by Hazel, but they were working on it together, if only to please her grandparents on either side. "Have a good evening, Lieutenant," she said warmly, and then stepped out of the viewing lounge and into the corridor. Hazel, she noticed, was still looking over her shoulder at Aniela as they left. Smiling to herself, she thought that maybe, at last, they were starting to make new friends here in their new home.

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Lieutenant Aniela Darvetti
Chief Science Officer
USS Yorktown

and

Lieutenant Ophelia Lysander
Chief Medical Officer
USS Yorktown