Fantasy is often better than reality

Posted on Sun Nov 19th, 2023 @ 5:26am by Lieutenant JG Damien Blackford

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Starfleet Academy
Timeline: 2392
636 words - 1.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Damien sighed as he stepped out of the stuffy exam hall, blinking a few times as his eyesight readjusted to the late afternoon sun, raising a hand to shield his eyes as he stopped just off the path, glancing around.

“Hey, Damien!” Damien turned around, spotting the source of the call. A young Andorian was jogging along the path, waving frantically at him. Damien smiled, dropping his hand and jogging slightly to meet him. “Hey, Kyth.” He said, stopping as they approached each other.

“So?” Kyth inquired. “How did the exam go?”

Damien shrugged in response. “Remind me again, why I thought it was a good idea to take Andorian as my required language?” He said, chuckling, shaking his head slightly. “I think it went okay.” He said. “I knew the majority of the questions, but, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Kyth, punched his shoulder gently, rolling his eyes. “You’re gonna be fine. You aced the practice tests and you’ve been studying like crazy.” Damien laughed, punching him back gently.

“Yes, but not everyone has an Andorian roommate helping them.” He reminded him. Kyth just shrugged.

“Hey, that’s their problem, not yours.” Sighing, he turned around, dropping onto the nearby bench. “Right. Your exam is over, and I know, for a fact, your next exam isn’t for a couple of days. So, don’t you dare say you’re busy. I’ve got the holodeck booked for the next couple of hours. So, me and you are taking the time to relax.”

Before Damien could even say anything, Kyth had jumped up from the bench, grabbed his arm and started marching him back along the path. “No buts!” He exclaimed. “Everyone needs to relax every now and again. And if you keep pushing yourself this way, you’re going to burn yourself out. And I refuse to let that happen!”

Damien grinned, turning his head to look at him. “And I’m sure you’re saying this purely out of the goodness of your heart, and not at all because if I burn out and drop out you’ll have no one left to who will tolerate your craziness?” He said, teasingly. Kyth smirked, shrugging.

“Believe what you want, Blackford. I’m just looking out for my friend.” Damien laughed, shaking his head, saying nothing more, allowing Kyth to lead him through the campus, eventually stopping outside the Holodeck.

“Alright then Kyth, what’s on the agenda for today’s session? Ancient Earth battles? Recreating the voyages of Voyager?”

Kyth shook his head. “Oh no. Nothing like that. Today, my friend, we’re delving into the realm of pure fantasy. We’ve both been cooped up for too long, studying boring textbooks and being forced to remember how to take a Phaser apart, or which bone connects to which bone...”

Damien laughed, looking over at his friend. “We’ve been studying for three years, Kyth. If you’re only just now figuring out which bone connects to which bone, I worry for the future of the Starfleet Medical Corps.”

Kyth merely shook his head. “You won’t be laughing like that when I’m a Doctor, and you need someone to patch you up because you were too busy playing the hero.”

“Alright, alright, I was only joking,” Damien said, grinning at him. “Come on, run the program. You’re right. We’ve been cooped up for too long. Let’s go kick some ass, or whatever it is we’re doing in this program.”

Kyth grinned again, turning to the panel and quickly punching in the program. After a few seconds, the doors opened. “After you.” He said, stepping aside, and letting Damien enter. Damien grinned at him, cracking his knuckles, before walking through the door.