"Worth It."

[FredM 0]

"The concept of worth is the biggest mystery in the galaxy." - Unknown

 

 

All told, it was about six feet in height. Divided up evenly, four dividers transformed the chasm in the wall into a shelf. They were common enough to find aboard a starship, but with this one...like so many others...what made it unique was what was placed on it. Each individual who commanded a starship had certain tastes, even concepts, about how the vessel should function and even a limited control over how it looked. Since the early days of the 23rd Century, a commander had the ability to dictate the layout of numerous bridge stations for example. Want the tactical station to be to your left? Give it a few hours and you'd get your wish. The same had held true for other things such as internal color schemes, even Captain's Chairs in recent years.

 

 

Throughout it all however, a commander always had their inner sanctuary...their place to get ready for whatever was to come next. Briefly the concept of a Captain's Ready Room had vanished from Starfleet, merged into the commander's quarters for several decades in the 23rd Century. Yet as they had been in the 22nd, the 24th Century had featured a revival of the concept. It was a resounding success by all standards, or so claimed anyone who had ever had one. So popular was the idea that by the end of 2310, almost every active ship in the fleet had been refitted to include one. For most, this was the closest glimpse at what made their commander tick you might see. While of course serving as an office, it was also almost a lounge. It was up to the individual to decide the layout and contents of the room, thus the possibilities of what one might see were endless.

 

 

For now, the small sanctuary is where Fred Michaels sat deep in thought. The walls of the room were white, with decorative light blue lighting erupting from bulkheads to give the ceiling an almost sky blue appearance. Several pictures of scenic views, taken by Michaels himself, adorned the walls. A dark red colored couch could be found against one of the walls, along with a glass coffee table. Of course the desk, made of a light gray wood, sat center with a chair behind. "L" shaped as it was, the top of it was stacked with reports and documents in numerous piles. For its part, the shelf that was next to the window in the room featured numerous items.

 

 

While not cultured, it was also what some might consider barren given the length of the occupant's career. The top shelf featured a late 23rd/early 24th Century phaser in a display case. Next to it was a padd of about the same era, faded and scratched in some places. Still illuminated, it proudly displayed a title of "Weapons Inventory" and a scrolling list that seemed frozen in time. Partially blocking the view of the padd was a small metal can with orange striped coloring featuring the faded lettering "C&E." On the opposite side featured a model of a Detilas Class Scout Ship, tilting upwards and taking up the rest of the room on the shelf. The area beneath, almost at shoulder height for an average human, featured a simple photo in a black frame. Those featured looked to be in the early to mid twenties, with one looking vaguely familiar to the person that now sat behind the desk. Next to it was another mounted device, this time what most would clearly see to be an engineering tool of some type…one that hadn’t been standard issue in decades. Across was a small plaque, within it mounted a promotion announcement and the corresponding rank of Lieutenant Commander that was appropriate for the uniform of the day.

 

 

The third shelf featured a carefully placed green cap, the words “John Deere” proudly displayed. Lying against it was a small locket, opened and tilted upwards to display the small photo of two people that no one aboard the Reaent knew. Next to it was a photo of two older persons, standing side by side with their arms around one another, smiling at the photographer with a scenic country hill in the background. The rest of the space was filled with numerous books, some seemingly newer and likely replicated, but one or two appeared much older. The final shelf was filled with more books and a blue circular collar of sorts. Its content or purpose no one really knew. A small palm sized rock was also present, sitting in a display stand of sorts. While there were other, smaller, items throughout the room, the purpose or memory were not enough to drag Michaels from the thoughts that ran thru his head.

 

As Fred Michaels glanced out the window, only one question remained in his mind: Was all of this worth it?