Defining Home

Posted on Tue Feb 17th, 2026 @ 9:12am by Major Addison 'Rico' Leyton & Civilian Kerilia Dosivi

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: promenade
Timeline: between missions, afternoon time
2001 words - 4 OF Standard Post Measure

A frustrated groan escaped Kerilia as she leaned back in her seat to look up at the ceiling, hair half-back with some weird contraption the other kids called a hairclip. She was in the promenade at one of the outdoor tables for the Galactic House of Pancakes. On the table, next to a stack of half-eaten pancakes, was a PADD with the homework assignment: What does home mean to you? The other questions asked about her culture, stereotypes, things she could easily answer. But this one question stumped her. She had caught onto the use of metaphors faster than Teevs did, but they still didn't always make sense. The question clearly wasn't asking about the ideal structure of a residence. The lingering headache from gym didn't help, and the thought reminded her to take another sip of water.

Having decided to take a stroll on the Promenade, Addison enjoyed the area. It was relaxing and peaceful. She then spotted Kerilia sitting at an outdoor table nearby who looked confused so she decided to make her way over. "Hey Kerilia," she called, giving a friendly wave.

Sitting upright when her name was called, Kerilia looked around until she saw Addison. Oh good, maybe she could help. Giving a smile, Kerilia waved back. "Hi, Addison! Do you want some pancakes?"

"Sure." she replied as she pulled a chair out from the table to sit down across from Kerilia. "Whatcha working on?" she eyed Kerilia's PADD before looking back at her.

Kerilia glanced at the PADD when the other woman asked. "Homework. We are talking about different cultures in class, and the assignment is to answer questions about our own cultures." She nudged the PADD over to Addison. Most of the questions were answered, things like the type of government on your homeworld, what is a cultural practice that is cherished your people, what stereotypes may exist for your people. The only one not answered was the last question. "Most of the questions weren't too difficult, but I'm stuck on the last one."

Addison looked over the questions. She was fascinated by the answers so far in regards to Lonian coming of age practice, Sen Vakai. She then scanned further down to the last question that was left unanswered. "Ah. What does home mean to you." She took a small bite of pancakes and chewed. It seemed a simple enough question to her but she guessed it must not have been to stump Kerilia.

"I'm not quite sure how to answer," Kerilia answered. "I asked Dad, but he said the question was probably asking about the places I've lived. I've been at the school long enough to know that that is not what the question is asking." She gave a little amused smile at that. While the teachers would probably find a literal answer amusing, Kerilia was almost convinced it was not the point of the question. Her inner competitive edge wanted to get full points on all the questions, so she wanted to make sure she got it right. "Humans like to communicate indirectly by using words that usually mean something else. So I think that's why I'm confused, because I'm not quite sure if 'home' has another meaning here."

"Hmmm...well, humans have an old saying--Home is where the heart is." She explained. "Meaning home is the place where you feel most comfortable, loved, accepted. Maybe it's with a loved one, family or a place you love. Does that make sense?"

With a thoughtful nod, Kerilia tried to answer the question with that definition in mind. "Yeah, that makes sense. Using that definition, I don't think I have just one home. Niea IV is home because it's where family is, and when we celebrate holidays together whenever we visit. The Spheia is also a home, because it's where Dad and I lived as I grew up, so it's familiar. The Elysium is probably also a home, because everyone here is so nice, and they make us feel welcome. It's also a pretty cool ship with lots to do."

Addison smiled at her. "I'm glad you like it here." The mention of Niea IV was still a reality check. She could never ask Teeves to choose between his home and her. She still wondered about quitting Starfleet and joining Teeves and Kerilia here. Would the Elysium ever reach home in her lifetime? She thought back to her Great Aunt who had disappeared with the USS Atlantis that had only made it back to the Alpha Quadrant several years ago. "You and your dad are pretty cool too. "

"Thanks," Kerilia said with a slight chuckle. She knew that the Thilia system was close, maybe days away, and as excited as she was to see home, it meant that this would end. Addison was nice, and Kerilia saw how she and Teevs got along, but she also saw the underlying stress of the decision they would have to make. Her expression turned curious as she took a sip of water. "Do you think of home that way?"

"Yeah, I suppose so. Earth will be my home, always but my home away from home is the Elysium," Addison explained. You're lucky to have your dad close by out here. " she took another bite of the pancakes.

In a way, Kerilia could understand being away from family and missing them, even if she had the benefit of a short travel to see them again. "I've always felt safe with him out here," she said, nudging her own pancakes with her fork. "After Mom died, he sacrificed a lot to make sure I could grow up. He made sure the Spheia felt like our place, despite everything that's happened to it. So while Niea IV is where I come from, I guess the Spheia is a 'home away from home'." She then frowned. "But the assignment is about culture, so I feel like my answer's supposed to be more about that than just what home feels like to me."

"I believe you're right on the money actually. Every person has a different home no matter the species. Take humans for example. Historically humans are from Earth but so many are born and live in space, various colonies with some never even visiting Earth ending up with different cultures among humans. Where you call home is a part of you and your culture such how you live now differs from traditional Lonian culture. "

Just because Kerilia was better at catching onto idioms than Teevs was, didn't mean that she caught all of them. As such, she leaned slightly to look under her seat to see if any of this 'money,' whatever that was, was on the ground. "But what about those cultures makes it feel like home," she asked rhetorially, sitting back upright in her chair. "When I think of my culture, I think of things that people do together. But it's not just anything, it's things that are unique to the people. Like Humans, for instance, seem to regularly partake in a tradition of setting squishy sugar cubes on fire in the forest at night in the holodeck. I almost always see Humans doing that, and they never do it alone."

"Squishy sugar cubes?" Addison wondered before the answer came to her. "Oh! You mean roasting marshmallows. Not all humans do that activity but it is a popular social activity. You should try S'mores. You roast the marshmallows and then put it between two graham crackers and a peice of chocolate. What are some things you and your dad do together that other Lonians do?"

Kerilia was skeptical to believe that this roasting of marshmallows was a social event and not a cultural one. It was too ritualistic. The closest comparison she had seen from another species was using energy weapons to cook meat without burning it. "Dad and I always build something cool for Falenor Day," Kerilia began, taking another sip of water. The water seemed to help the headache slightly, which was fine for her. In most cases, a nap usually got rid of these. "It's a day to remember when our star, Thilia, destroyed the original home of our people on Niea III and forced a mass migration thousands of years ago. Lonians really like storytelling, so the day is about telling the story of our people and how techology can help us. People like to build stuff to help tell the story. It's the day before Wevika Kemei, the day our planet completes an orbit around the star, and that involves eating a lot of food."

Addison smiled at Kerilia as she explained Falenor Day. "That sounds fun! Then I will definitely have to introduce S'mores to the Lonian People to enjoy while telling the story of your people's migration," she joked, laughing. To me it sounds like home is where your dad is."

Kerilia blinked at that. The idea processed in her mind for a beat. "I'm the most comfortable around my dad, and he is a part of all the places that feel like home, so I suppose that does makes sense. But can home really just be a person?" She eventually asked, her tone a little softer than it was before. "What happens when that person isn't there anymore?"

"Yes, I believe that home can be a person," Addison answered. "You're not typical Lonians. You travel and interact with other species. That makes you unique and if you're most comfortable with your dad, then home is where you and your dad are. As for not being there, I wouldn't worry about that right now. Live in the here and now. Whenever that day does come I am certain you will be strong enough to make wherever you are your own home. Maybe it will be a special place, with a group of people, or even someone special. "

Live in the here and now. Kerilia had been doing a lot of that lately, with the return to Niea IV on the horizon. She had gotten used to being on the ship, and while Dad reminded her to just be a kid, she had begun thinking about what she wanted to do when it was time to decide where to stay. Or, in the case of this assignment, where to call home. "I'm going to write that down so I can look back at it later," she said, pulling the datapad toward her.

Addison smiled. "Good. Now, relax and let's finish these pancakes, hm?"

Kerilia gave her a smile and a nod before taking a minute to write down some notes. "It's not due for a week, so..." A particularly sharp stab from that persistent headache made Kerilia pause. Her fingers hovered over the datapad, as her eyes squinted into a mild wince. She reached for the water again and took a sip. "... so I have time."

Addison paused, looking at Kerilla. "Are you alright?"

"Just a headache," Kerilia responded, taking another sip of water for good measure. "I think I'm just dehydrated after gym class today. Sooo much running." Glancing up at Addison, she offered a faint smile that aimed to reassure. "I usually drink some water and go to bed early to get rid of it."

"Alright," Addison replied, watching Kerilla. "If it persists, go down to medical about it. As for gym class, hopefully your teacher eases off the running a bit. You're Starfleet Cadets," she joked.

With a nod, Kerilia finished taking her notes. "Do all the cadets deal with so much running?? Or is it just the instructor here?" She asked, light humour in her tone.

Addison chuckled and nodded. "Unfortunately so. Of course it doesn't help that the Academy instructor is a Marine."

Kerilia scowled before stabbing another bite of pancake with her fork. "That essplains why I'm still in pushup debt..."