Getting Adjusted

[Archie Phoenix 0]

Personal Log, Stardate 50803.31

 

In the time since I was called to main engineering, I have learned more about Arcadia’s mission and the events which have transpired. The information I have gathered has come, in part, from overheard conversations among my fellow engineers -- ‘gossip’ is the human word, and an important one to them as I understand it. I will admit (not officially, of course) that I have also peeked at some of the shipwide reports; intimate knowledge of the ship’s systems has its advantages.

 

I have learned that Lieutenant Sema’J was aboard the Belleau Wood when it was attacked, and he sustained an injury that has kept him in Sickbay since the recon team‘s return. This left Lieutenant Forsythe in charge of engineering, but he has since taken another engineer to the computer core to perform an undisclosed task. I have gathered that the crew has been up to various sorts of covert undertakings, the sorts of undertakings that do not lend themselves to smooth, friendly diplomacy. I wonder if Lieutenant Forsythe is purging sensitive information from the computer? In any event, this has taken both of the ranking engineers out of the picture.

 

Now all that remains in engineering are Ensigns and crewmen. I first noticed as I scanned the personnel manifest that there is a stark shortage of upper-tier officers on the engineering staff. There are only two Lieutenants on the staff, and both are junior grade. The records show that a wave of extended leaves, departures, and even death has deprived the staff of its higher ranking officers. I find this both comforting and exciting. There can only be a greater sense of camaraderie between officers who are so near one another in their Starfleet experience. In the Academy, whereas I enjoyed the company of my fellow students, the few command officers I met spoke to me as if I were either an ignorant child or a lesser form of life altogether. Perhaps, without any commanders in engineering, my new career on Arcadia will feel more like the Academy than I thought it would -- only with more discovery and danger!

 

So far, I have spoken only with Ensign Jordan Black, the officer who assisted me with the shuttle investigation. She assured me that, in time, things would return to ‘normal’ in Engineering, and she seemed quite put off when I stated my desire to the contrary. That would not surprise me. She is, after all, a Human. The lives of humans and so many of the other Federation races are in constant motion. They lose loved ones forever. Generations change around them, four or five times during their lives. They are ever reaching out, exploring the stars and braving the dangers of the galaxy. And for them, those dangers are very real, far more real than for any Renazian. The journey of a human is a busy one, indeed. Not at all like life on Renazia. And just as I long for excitement and spontaneity, they must desire some order in their ever-changing lives. Understanding these distinctions between our peoples has been the primary focus of my studies, for without such understanding I fear that I would not fit into Arcadia’s crew.