-= Junior Officers quarters - Ens Skon =-
Enjoying what had quickly become apparent was going to be a fairly rare occurrence Skon settled on the floor of his quarters in a meditative position. The room was completely dark save for the light from a single candle, resting on an ornate blue crystal stand directly in front of the Vulcan Science Officer. In the dancing orange light of the candle, with the rooms environmental controls set to be more akin to what he considered normal, Skon began to relax.
Repeating a routine that had been taught to him as a child his mind quickly processed the recent happenings on the Charon. There was not much known about their most recent, his first, mission. What was apparent was the combat the ship had been involved in but that had abruptly ended with and a ship wide broadcast from the Captain praising the crews actions and returned the ship to condition green.
From the first uncertainty, hearing the red alert and the call to battle stations Skon had quickly slipped into drill. Taking up his position in the science labs with another officer and two enlisted personnel, he quickly stored any lose materials and started organising damage control in his small area of operation.
It was unclear just what action the Charon had been involved in but they were preparing for any eventuality. Phasers were issued but thankfully Skon had seen none of the fighting. He did not really need to know the cause of the encounter but it had been his first. His training had prepared him for it but the experience was far removed from that he had received on the simulator. Then, even though they were encouraged to act as if it were real, if something went wrong the lights came on, the instructor appeared and the simulation was re-set.
The reality was only too different and contemplating the outcome had been an unwelcome distraction.
All these were matters he had excluded from his most recent personal communication to his parents. It would do little to help his cause if he seemed to present a chain of events that only strengthened his fathers argument. A lie? Perhaps. Skon would rather call it an omission, one that he deemed necessary in light of failing relations with the older Vulcan.
Since his arrival on the Charon, from the USS Guardian, Skon had yet to receive a response to any of his 'letters'. His sister had been in contact and while welcome she had also managed to write about every detail of life on Vulcan other than those that interested Skon the most.
T'Lar had always been the favourite. Illogical, his mother had told him when he once raised it as a small boy but it was as apparent to Skon then as it was now. Then he had always been slightly more hot headed and irrational as a child, before he was schooled properly in controlling his emotions. It took longer and caused some embarrassment to his parents, the first and last time Skon had allowed that to happen. Until, of course, he enrolled in Starfleet.
That T'Lar had written nothing of their parents and yet little else of the happenings on Vulcan had escaped her was painfully obvious. The communication ended with her meticulous and lengthy discussions of a current project at the Science institute and asked for his conjecture as the project reached an impasse, the one place Skon out did his sister being in creative thinking. For some reason he was not as constrained to traditional thinking when it came to his work. Logic still commanded his mind but there was, he mused, evidently some of that small boy left unsuppressed by Vulcan teachings and 'out of the box' thinking came more easily to him.
The downside of his more irrational side was no more keenly evident than in his attempts to calm his mind in the wake of what had been fully blown ship combat. His pride, his jealousy (perhaps) had lead him here to this ship and although he would never admit he was beginning to feel the slightest twinge of doubt. Perhaps his father had been right about Starfleet? It was still too early to tell and pride would not allow that realisation easily or quickly.
He took in a deep breath and breathed out slowly, focusing all his attention onto the flickering candle flame. Slowly, he started to ease the tension in his shoulders, calmed the racing of his heart and pushed aside all thoughts of home.
He forced himself to focus on the light. Slowly, the candle itself started to fade away along with his thoughts and doubts. Soon enough there was no Charon and the steady hum of the warp engine tapered away. In time all other thoughts and feeling fell away completely from his mind and in their wake only calm remained.
There was only the flame.
--
Ens Skon
Asst. Science Officer
USS Charon
"Logic is the beginning of wisdom."
