"Late-Night Conversations"

[Guest Lieutenant_JG_TParek]

"Late Night Conversations"

Lieutenant j.g. T'Parek

Personal Log

September 02, 2155

 

From the moment that she entered her quarters that night, T'Parek felt a deep, sickening feeling. What if for some reason the command staff suspected that she

 

Of all the people on the ship that could have been assigned to these quarters with me, why did it have to be Montague? Why couldn't it have been someone sans criminal tendencies? The Vulcan woman sighed. Whatever did I do to deserve this?

 

She considered contacting one of her commanding officers and requesting that either she or he be moved to another bunk. But then again, it wasn't that large of a matter, was it...?

 

I shall not to choose to complain as long as they do not choose to confine him to his quarters as punishment. When that happens, I will move into the Science Lab.

 

Permanently.

 

T'Parek rolled out the compact meditation mat and lit two of her "candles of concentration". The spicy scent of exotic incense instantly filled the small compartment. She closed her eyes and began to focus on the flickering flame before her.

 

She had just entered the second stage of meditation when the gamma-shift communications officer's voice emanated from her communications station, startling the Vulcan out of her trance-like state.

 

"Lieutenant, there's a personal communique coming in for you."

 

She raised an eyebrow. "Very well, Ensign. Put it through to my quarters."

 

"Aye, Sir," the young woman's voice replied. T'Parek strode over to the small comm screen and took a seat before it. A familiar face appeared; the face of a friend, and a worried friend at that.

 

"Glad to see that I was able to get ahold of you, Lieutenant. Congratulations on your promotion, by the way, in case my earlier letter didn't reach you..."

 

T'Parek nodded. "Lieutenant Schultz. It's been a long time. And no, I didn't receive any communications from you recently."

 

"Yes, the comm net here has been rather... active... recently. "The activity here on Earth hasn't exactly made the task of getting communiques to colleagues outside of the solar system easy. But that's not why I contacted you." He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "What happened earlier today?"

 

Her deadpan was flawless. "What events might you be referring to?"

 

"You know that I don't want to put you on the spot, T'Parek, but rumors that say that Challenger attacked a fellow Starfleet vessel unprovoked are spreading like wildfire, and I don't like to think that your ship was really responsible for what happened."

 

"You mean that you don't like thinking of my shipmates and I as murderers, attacking a fellow Starfleet ship, don't you. She tensed slightly as he nodded, pondering her words carefully. "There was an... incident... involving two of our junior engineering officers. They took control of the ship's systems. They, not the rest of the crew, damaged the ship. Keep that in mind."

 

He nodded again, "That's what I gathered from the grapevine, T'Parek. I contacted you to get your views of what happened, before the whole thing is covered up."

 

She glanced at Montague's belongings before replying. "I have no idea what to make of the entire affair. One moment, a Bolian gained access to some sort of classified area of the ship..."

 

"Classified?" he interrupted. "Can you be more specific?"

 

"I wish I could. I have no idea where the intrusion occurred, and the command staff aren't exactly interested in answering my questions."

 

A expression showing both humor and slight concern passed over his face. "You mean that they don't trust you?"

 

T'Parek rolled her eyes slightly. "No, I didn't say that. Classified usually means that only the people who need to know, know. And I don't... need to know."

 

He shrugged. "Continue."

 

"So one minute, the Bolian is infiiltrating a classified portion of the ship with the help of one ensign, and the next, the ship's systems are being commandeered by another engineer, with the help of the first ensign."

 

"Did you know either of the ensigns? What could have driven them to this? This is mutiny, T'Parek!"

 

"One of the 'mutineers' was my roommate. The odd thing is, that I never got to know him at all. I didn't view him as rebellious or loyal. I'd never taken the time to get to know him."

 

Schultz looked at her thoughtfully. "That could either be a good thing, or a bad thing. If you don't have any history with him, there's no way that you can be dragged into this. But then again, they might not believe that you have no idea of his character, and view it as suspicious. But I do doubt the latter."

 

"I considered that as well, Paul. I sincerely hope that it will not come to that."

 

He nodded assent. "So how have things gone with you? It seems that you might finally have found your niche in life... especially with the way that you have bounced between jobs so often... one moment you're a member of the Vulcan diplomatic corps, then the High Command, then you completely disappear from view, going on a spiritual quest to Mount Seleya in search of the Syrrinites, then off to an Andorian-Vulcan secret coventure, and now Starfleet."

 

"Challenger offers me a position in which I am more comfortable than I have been since I was assigned to Earth. You Humans are a fascinating species, Paul."

 

He grinned. "As you've said before." He paused. "And you personally? How do you seem to be getting along with your crewmates?"

 

"Well, I believe. They seem to have accepted me, and I no longer sense that they view me as an outsider."

 

"And is there anyone... special?"

 

T'Parek thought for a moment and replied with all honesty. "Not to my knowledge."

 

"I would think that you could give me a more concrete answer than that."

 

"Romance is relative."

 

"Relative?!"

 

"You know that there are cirumstances beyond my control that prohibit a long-term relationship with any of my crewmates, and anything else seems pointless."

 

He shook his head and chuckled. "You wouldn't have said that fifteen years ago, T'Parek. But who am I to contradict a Vulcan?"

 

A bemused look overcame T'Parek's face. "You have no idea what you would be doing if you tried." She glanced at the chronometer. "It is late, and I do need to continue meditation before tomorrow. So I hope to hear from you again soon, Lieutenant."

 

He smiled at her. "Good night, T'Parek. Don't let any rogues get you down, ok?"

 

"I shall not. Good night, T'Parek."

 

After closing the communication link, she began to meditate once more after her late-night conversation. But after such a lively conversation, her concentration was a little harder to control...

 

=END LOG=

[WesleyMustDie 0]

"I shall not. Good night, T'Parek."

 

Talking to yourself? :blink: