Tales of the Staff for New Members

Angel

It was a long few days for Lieutenant Commander Jana Dixon at the Starfleet Academy extension for Bravo Fleet on Mellanox III.  Just a few days earlier, she received news that her CO, Captain Azras Dex was reassigned to Task Force 93 to be the CO there.  She was very happy for Azras but at the same time, that left her with all of the duties that Azras performed until StarFleet would be so inclined to transfer someone to be her new Commanding Officer.   

Days of administrative work along with her physical therapy after her accident on the Campbell were really starting to take a toll on her.  She could not wait until Starfleet Medical could find a way to regenerate her lost left arm and right leg.  Those lost limbs were what got her reassigned here in the first place.  Maybe sometime soon, the doctors would figure out her DNA and get her ready for reattachment surgery but for now, she was using synthetic prosthetics.  Yes, the synthetics were a different color of her skin but she wanted the real flesh and blood of her own body again.

Finally calling it a day of duty, she decided to walk down towards the promenade to relax for a bit and maybe catch the specials of food that the various merchants were preparing.  There was nothing like a freshly cooked meal to reignite her mind and body.  As she limped over towards the promenade, it seemed that her synthetic leg was giving out mixed messages.  It seemed to want to kick and make her lose her balance.  “Damnit!  Not this glitch again!”  She shouted as she looked over at a handle on the side of the wall and grasped at it to let the glitch do its thing and rid itself out of the tendencies that it showed.  It took about thirty seconds for the glitch to finally fix itself before she was back to a normal walking pace.  Taking a deep breath, she walked along slowly towards the promenade as she sat down at her favorite table that overlooked the sky and the few trees that were outside.

Feeling her necklace that she wore for the longest time, she took it out for just a bit.  She remembered that it was a gift from someone back in her own days at the Academy back on Earth.  She remembered the face of who gave her the necklace but his name escaped her for the life of her.  Maybe fate has its own way of reconnecting people?  She thought about that for just a little bit before her favorite server came to her table and was punching a few buttons on her PADD to get the food ready for Jana.

The last few weeks had been a huge blur for Calum. He had been working hard to get the Requiem ready for his departure while making sure all of his transfer paperwork successfully went through. It was an emotional farewell though he had never thought he was the type he did have feelings for the crew of the only ship he had been apart of. 

The Captain had made an emotional farewell speech and the crew had each decided to give him a parting gift, which was not necessary, but with the crew, he knew better than to even try and decline the gifts. Calum in kind made a farewell speech to the crew in which he saw multiple tears in the eyes of his crewmates. It had been an adventure like no other and Calum would always remember what had happened in his time on the Requiem. 

On his way to the Starfleet Academy extension for Bravo Fleet on Mellanox III all he could do was think about the missions and successes of the Requiem. He smiled and realized they were in good hands. It was time for him to now make his way towards a different path. He had been researching his new post and the information regarding Bravo Fleet when an all too familiar name popped up. 

It’s Jana! he thought a smile developed on his face as he closed his eyes and the face of his old friend appeared. He never admitted it to Jana or anyone else, but it was possibly the only person her had ever had a crush on in the Academy, and still deep within his heart he still secretly loved Jana though if he admitted that to her it probably wouldn’t end well. 

He saw the information of her injuries, but to him, that changed nothing of how he felt. He smirked as he remembered driving her crazy with his bagpipes in the Academy days. Many nights he spent time with her to “study” though he just didn’t want to leave her company. He never made it seem that way, as he always had plenty of work to get through.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden jolt of the shuttle landing at the Academy annex for Bravo Fleet.

“We have arrived Commander Hyden.” came the gruff reply from the pilot.

Calum smiled “Thank ye.”

He quickly disembarked and headed for the administration area to check-in. It was still mid-day so he knew there were people on duty. He heard his stomach grumble and decided to get food. 

The checking in can wait when food is involved. He thought to himself and smirked at the reaction a superior would have given him. After a small walk to find the promenade he spotted it after his nose had caught wind of the many delicious smells. He was looking at the promenade when he ran straight into a table and made him fall over it. 

Embarrassed he got up and looked around it seemed nobody cared. He then looked at the person at the table and his eyes widened. It was Jana as beautiful as always and the simulated light making her face shine.

Trying to make light of the situation Calum made a witty remark “That table just came out of nowhere.” 

He truly didn’t know what else to say he was trying to act normal when on the inside he was speechless at the events that had just happened.

Jana felt very surprised with all of the crashing and banging that happened all around her table.  At first, she thought that it was some cadet that was rushing to get to their next class but when everything was untangled, she was very surprised to see Commander’s pips and a very familiar face from her past.  She may have forgotten names but she remembered faces with a clear vision in her mind.  It took her a bit of time but she finally put two and two together before gasping out in surprise.  “Calum?  Is that really you?”  She asked with a douse of laughter as she admitted one thing about her old but very good friend.  “Are you all right?  I bet this was not the grand entrance that you intended to show me at all!”  Reaching out with her good right arm, she stood up as much as she could to help her old friend get his bearings back.

“I never thought that I would ever see you again!  How are things?”  Once she figured that Calum got his bearings back, she gave him a half hug with her right arm holding him close while they started to reconnect.

The redness in his face had to show how embarrassed he was. He regrouped and spoke up. “Yep it is me. Did ye miss me?” he smirked. “I am ok I think I only hurt ma pride a bit. This wis not hou I imagined this would happen.” 

He took the arm and picked himself back up and straightened out his uniform. He was glad she couldn’t see his face as she hugged him. He had a huge smile on his face. “I mean we both probably niver expectit to see each other. I wanted to surprise ye!”

He gave Jana a hug in kind and helped her sit back down. He grabbed a seat across from her and sat down. “Any suggestions on some good grub?”

With Jana being helped back to her seat by her old friend, she was very glad that she remembered Calum's distinct accent and was able to make out everything that he said without hesitation while he took a seat across from her.  “Surprise me you did!  As for some good grub as you say, I tend to go for the pasta and meat shops. But there is a very good Fish and Chips shop that I never tried out.  Rumor has it that the shop owner may give us some real alcohol if you tip him very well.  If you are really adventurous, there is a shop that serves a soup that they call ‘Pho’.  Please don’t ask me where that term came from but It is very delicious if you add a touch of hot sauce into the broth.”  She admitted with her smile coming back to the forefront as her necklace slipped out of the front of her uniform.

Calum had been paying attention to what Jana was saying until the necklace slipped out of her uniform. It was the necklace he gave her those many years ago. His mind reeled back to the day he had given it to her. He was young and of course she was the person he liked, but she was also his best friend. That necklace was one of the biggest things he had ever tried to purchase. He had saved up to get it for her. He even remembered the note he had given her with it. 

Dear Jana,

No matter where the winds of time take us this atom is to remind you that you're an important one and I will never forget you. You are my best friend and I wouldn’t have made it through the Academy without you. 

Love,

Calum

That note was small, but to him it meant so much. He never admitted it to himself sometimes, but he missed Jana and seeing her made him feel like something that had been missing had just returned. 

“You kept the necklace Jana?” Calum responded slightly surprised. 

Jana could not help it.  She let out a small blush on her face while noticing Calum’s little surprise.  “Yes.  It helps to keep me grounded and remember the people that I helped out.  After my Vision Quest, I needed some sort of direction.  I had an idea of that direction but at the same time, you helped me to decide which way to go in the Academy.  I can honestly say that if we did not help each other during the Academy, that we would not be in the positions that we are in.”  She explained with a soft smile at the end.  She did have a couple of questions in her mind though so she decided to ask the first one that may be easy for her to ask about.

“Besides being so surprised to see me, what brings you here to Mellanox III?”  She asked in her curiosity as she could not help to try to find out the entire story.  It was in her nature to not leave one stone unturned in her career and this question was not any different.

Calum regrouped as his thoughts could wait for another time. He had realized that Jana might not feel the same way and regardless he would accept that. For now, he needed to answer her question. 

“Well I am coming ta become a part of the Academy staff here” he smirked.

Now, it was Jana’s turn to be surprised with Calum’s announcement.  “No kidding?  I am part of the staff as well.  Ever since Captain Dex left for her new position, it has been so crazy lately for me to try to get through all of these personnel requests.  I have pulled in double shifts in the past few days just to get through all of the requests and placements for them.  I have not been so overwhelmed since the Final exams back at the Academy itself.”  She let out a soft sigh but was quickly reminded of the past again.  

“Thank you for helping me through them.  I couldn’t make heads or tails out of them until you showed me your ways of studying.  We did learn a lot of things from each other back then, didn’t we?”  She asked, feeling some relief coming her way and maybe feeling like she would have the Scottish-Ohlone tribe back together again… as she called them back then.

Calum smiled and nodded “We did didn’t we? Seems like it was just yesterday when we spent hours together studying.” He smiled “Well now you have some help regarding the classes and finals. I never expected to get a position like this thought it has always been my dream to help others.”

“You earned it!  You always were the more helpful one out of the both of us.  That I can definitely recall.  I mean, you have so much more patience than I do.  I remember being so frustrated trying to complete an exam where I had to direct a mock ship’s resources in the right areas during a tense battle.  I think that I failed that about three times before you showed me what I was missing.”  She recalled as she let out a soft blush.  “I mean, it was so easy, that I totally overlooked the repair teams.  I couldn’t believe that I was so blind to not realize that.”  She admitted as the conversation continued.

Calum blushed slightly as the compliment was given. “Aww shucks Jana twernt nuthin. I enjoyed helping you though I’ll admit I still couldn’t believe you missed the repair teams. Your a brilliant person, but sometimes we all need sum help. It’s a big person that can admit there not able ta do everthin alone.” 

“I could say more, but you look like your abut ta pop.” He smirked.

Jana could not help but to let out a small chuckle.  He always seemed to be more down to earth than she was as she was not surprised that her mind was going a million miles an hour.  Hearing his words seemed to slow down her mind a bit and get back to the situation at hand.  “Yeah.  You read me like a book, just like my phoenix told me that you did after my quest.  I was really hoping that you would have been a part of that vision quest that I had long ago but I knew that you had other things to take care of.  You never told me what they were but… it had to be very important towards your studies.“  She admitted as she finally settled back down in her seat.

Calum looked at her puzzled. It was like she was acting what he never thought she would say “What du ya mean?” He inquired somewhat puzzled. 

Jana looked a little surprised at his question at first but she let out a small smile afterwards.  “Did you not remember that I wanted to honor the tradition of my ancestors and the vision quests that they went through in our last year at the academy?”  She asked before a pause.  “Maybe I forgot to tell you but do you remember the time in our senior year that I was out of all of the courses for a full day?  I took a sick day but what I really did was go on my vision quest.  I wanted to see where my people’s spirits would guide me to.  It took a better part of a day while I saw various animals in my vision but when the phoenix arrived towards me, that was where I saw my calling.  It was like a rebirth to me!  I found my calling then”  She explained as she smiled.  “You do remember that I was a lot more confident after that day… unless a rock grew in your head.”  She teased him at the end of her admittance.

Calum thought for a minute and smiled. He did remember it, but he still couldn’t shake the fact that she was still trying to tell him something. Calum cared about Jana more than he could admit, but he felt like he was missing something in what she was saying. “I do remember that. You told me we wouldn’t be able to hang that night. I was going to…uhm nevermind.” He looked embarrassed and looked down at the table. 

Jana felt bad about the rest of that night but she really wanted to know more about things that Calum had in mind.  “You were going to… what?”  She asked, looking confused towards him.  Since he brought it up, she was not going to let this go at this sweet moment in time.  If this was a moment of reflection, she wanted to know the entire story… and she was not going to take no for an answer.

Calum looked at her and then away and then back at her. He sighed and shook his head pausing for a moment. “I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend. I was going to take you to the nicest restaurant near the Academy. I thought about what I was going to say and was about to ask you. Then you told me you wasn’t going to be available. When I talked to you next...you seemed different. I never asked after that.”

He looked down in defeat. 

Jana looked as shocked as she ever was in her life.  Yes, she was different after her quest.  She had a purpose in her life but there were still some parts of her past that she kept at the forefront.  “You… You wanted me… to be your… girlfriend?”  She asked, trying to process all of that in her mind.  Taking a very loud gasp, she still was shocked at what Calum just admitted.  It took her a bit to process all of that as she touched her necklace once again.  “So… the necklace… and me helping you… you felt more about me than… I did at the time?”  She asked still in shock.  “Oh… my… Why didn’t you tell me?  Did my growing confidence scare you away?”  She asked, wanting to know more.  If it may open up old wounds, she was willing to take that risk at the moment.

Calum looked into her eyes about as honest and loving as he could. “I loved you Jana and honestly I still do. I felt something for you from the first time we studied. Your change seems to distance you from me. You didn’t act the same way towards me. I didn’t know what to think. I was too scared to ask you. And felt to hurt to try and discuss it with you.” 

Calum looked down and back into her eyes. “You never seemed to come and talk to me like you used to. You consumed yourself in classes and only talked to me when you needed my help. We never hung out as friends.”

Calum felt the hurt and his eyes teared up. 

Jana saw Calum’s eyes tearing up and it was then that she felt a soft spot coming in towards her.  It all suddenly made sense to her. Letting out a soft breath, she reached out with her good right hand towards Calum’s closest hand on the table.  “Gods…”  She reflected on things for a bit.  “I saw a dove during my quest but at the time, I didn’t know what that meant… but now I do.  It meant that someone really cared about me… it was the sign of love.”  She explained as she let out a loud sigh.  “I was not ready for that so I brushed the dove off and in a way, I brushed you off as well.  God, I am such a jerk for not realizing how you felt about me.”  She softly turned her face away in a realization that she may have screwed up her entire love life for her career.  “Can you forgive me for being so young and ambitious?”  She asked softly towards him.

Calum smiled and looked back into her eyes yet again. “I forgave you long ago. I realized I couldn't be mad at you.” He paused for a minute. “I love you Jana.” 

Jana gasped as the realization came full circle towards her.  She was just about to say something as a young tall redheaded CPO in a red uniform came towards their table.  “Commander Dixon?  Commander Hyden?  There is an incoming message for both of you from Starfleet Command in two separate PADDs here.  Today is my lucky day, Sir… and Ma’am.”  Shr yeoman set the PADDs down onto the table as she made one last thing.  “The messages do not have a priority channel attached to them so Starfleet Command advises both of you that you can read them at your leisure.”  The Yeoman announced as she left as quickly as she arrived.

Calum looked at the PADD entering his code. The logo parted and the post appeared. He smiled at the announcement. Jana had been promoted; she was not only his rank, but now she was his boss. It wouldn’t change anything about how he felt. “Congratulations Commander Dixon. You earned this.” He was being formal, but he got his point across.

Jana read the same message that Calum had.  It read,

“LtCmdr Dixon and Cmdr Hyden,

Both of you have been assets to the fleet that we have grown to admire through both of your Starfleet careers.  You both have shown exemplary accolades in both your duties and the risks that you both have taken to make sure that the fleet is the best it can be.  It is my pleasure to have you both assigned together at Mellanox III to train the cadets of the future.  Both of your skills will be valuable in leading all of the new cadets towards wonderful Starfleet careers.  

Cmdr, Hyden, we already announced your orders in a previous communique so please support your new commanding officer and help her to be the best commander that she can be as she embarks on her new duties.

LtCmdr Dixon, it is my privilege to promote you to the rank of Commander with all of the rights and privileges held within that rank.  You have shown us that after a very devastating injury that you have been able to still serve us in your duties at Mellanox II for the past few months… but we feel that you have command ability in your soul.  Your new position is to be the Senior Personnel Officer for the Cadets.  You will be leading the Cadets towards their goals with Commander Hyden assisting you towards their goals.  We are proud of both of you and may you continue to be a great asset to the Fleet.

Live Long and Prosper”

It was signed by the Commandant of the main Starfleet academy back on Earth.

Jana let out a loud gasp as she read the message.  “Oh… my… GOD!”  SHe shouted in her small shock.  Sure she wanted to command a ship someday but for now, she realized that her disability was keeping her at the main academy for a while longer.

Looking back at Calum, she let out a small smirk towards him.  “Guess that you are stuck with me for a while longer, loverboy.”  She let out a small giggle as she finally let out the response that Calum admitted to her earlier.  “I love you too, ya Scottish hunk!  Just learn your manners on duty, got it?”  She giggled softly as she could see the lights fading as if darkness was going to come around.

Calum grinned and looked at the table. “We never did eat. How about we grab a bite Commander?” He winked. “Then we go back to your place and relax. It’s been too long since we just relaxed together. I think after the excitement of today we deserve it.”

Looking back at Calum, she recognized that they never ordered any food in all of their excitement and distractions.  “Yes.  Your choice of food… but my place it is… but let’s get the food to go.”  She almost ordered as she slowly raised herself up from her chair while hearing the click from her left prosthetic leg setting itself to the walking position to head over to the food booths and then to her quarters for the night.

A joint post between:

Angel - Commander Dixon

DarthCrusader - Commander Hyden