"Memories, Part 1"

"Memories, Part 1"

Lt. Cmdr. Shirik Lektar, OPs Chief, USS Vanguard

Stardate: 58807.12, 23h20
Location: Lektar's Quarters, Deck 2

The lighting in her quarters was low, as it always was when she was alone. Shirik sat on the edge of her bed in her nightgown, a stack of PADDs beside her that she'd been working through all evening. Normally she'd go to bed, but her thoughts kept her awake. Instead she found herself looking across the small room at the dresser.

The images stood in a row. She didn't look at them often. There was little point in making a habit of reminding herself of things she couldn't change. But tonight something pulled her gaze there and kept it, and after a moment she set the PADDs aside and crossed the room.

One by one she looked at each image. Each one held a story, was attached to memories and emotions. Each person in their own way had changed her life. The first one she reached for was Caly. Sorg Calyca, the best friend she'd ever had or was likely to have. The one woman she actually felt was a sister to her, unlike the four sisters in her own family. Holding the holoimage, she stared at it. The petite engineer who stood 2 inches shorter than herself, perpetually covered in smudges that no one could ever figure out where they came from. A short shock of curly red hair, bright green eyes. Always a smile, always nonplussed in the face of troubles, always there for her. No matter what happened, Caly had always been there, to listen, to advise, to comfort, to cheer her. They had laughed together, feared together, and cried together. She would never forget the first time they met. 

***

Stardate: 57705.13, 16h15

When Shirik arrived at her quarters after shift, the first thing she noticed when the door opened was the light level. She always kept the lights off when she wasn't there, and even when she was there at a low level. A frown found her lips and she turned her head to notice the stranger sitting on one of the beds surrounded by a pile of junk. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Who are you and what are you doing in my room?" she demanded.

Caly hopped off the bed at the sound of the princess' voice, totally engrossed in what she'd been doing until then and scattering parts about when she did. "Oh, hey there Ensign," she beamed and offered her hand. "I'm your new roommate. Petty Officer First Class Calyca Boothroyd," she told her and took back her hand to 'whoops' and snatch falling parts up off the floor. "Sorry about that, sir," she grinned at the other woman.

Caly was dressed in loose fitting gym shorts, a sport bra and socks. She looked very relaxed, at home and at ease. Nothing in her body language or demeanor even hinted that she felt out of place or was intimidated in any way. She was respectful, but didn't look in the least subdued or like she was likely to leave anytime soon.

Shirik made no move to take the offered hand, her narrowed eyes studying the woman before her for a moment. "No doubt this is Lt. Mallory's idea of a joke," she said, turning away to go sit on her own bed, PADD in hand. "There are plenty of other rooms for you. I'll see that you get assigned to one." Her tone indicated that Lt. Mallory may bear the brunt of her wrath later. Obviously the fact that Mallory outranked her didn't intimidate HER much, either.

"Alrighties, sir," she nodded and grinned and climbed back into the bed, making way for herself amongst the... What could best be described as... debris. Or at least it appeared that way. "I think he likes you," Caly announced once again ensconced with her --- things and seemingly happy as a clam.

"Oh, *obviously*," she said, her words dripping sarcasm. Frown firmly in place on her face, she set about tapping on her PADD and trying to ignore the rest of the room around her.

"So, you been here long, sir?" Caly asked pleasantly as she set her own PADD aside and started picking the pieces off the bed and her fingers began to absently put them together as she looked over at Shirik. The Ensign's sarcasm seemed to be lost on the other woman.

Shirik's gaze never left her PADD as she tapped away. "I've been on the Exeter for two months," she said shortly.

"How do you like it so far?" Caly asked, still watching the ensign while her hands and fingers began to reassemble what had been scattered all over her bed.

"My assignment was adequate, until I got a roommate," she said evenly.

Calyca blinked and then broke out into genuine laughter. "Oh, touché sir, touché," she grinned over at her as her fingers continued their self appointed task. "Although -adequate- does sound rather... boring," she offered. "Think of how much less boring it'll be now." 

"Operations is not the posting I'd hoped for," she said flatly. "But I have no wish for excitement of the sort you refer to."

"Oh? What sort of excitement is that?" she asked curiously. "I'm housebroke," she promised.

"The excitement of a roommate," she said dryly. She gave her a disdainful glance. "I would certainly *hope* so..."

Calyca grinned over at Shirik, not the least put out by the disdainful look. "I like you, sir. I think we're going to get along famously."

"No, we are not. Because one of us is going to be assigned to another room." She returned her gaze to her PADD and began tapping once more.

Caly's fingers had kept absently working at reassembling the parts that'd been strewn about her all this time. She paused in her task then and swiveled to sit on the edge of the bed and look over at Shirik. "Ensign Lektar.... Sir..." she began. "Is it such a horrible thing to have a roommate? I promise I'm well behaved, don't leave dirty clothes all over the place or make a nuisance of myself. I won't nag you to death or tell you my life story every day. I won't hit on you, or bring guys to the room... I generally do my own thing and get too preoccupied for a lot of small talk. I'm really not so bad, y'know..." she offered quietly and seriously.

Shirik paused in her work. She let the PADD rest in her lap and looked up once more, studying Caly closely with her violet gaze. She considered for a time before speaking. "Perhaps you can stay for now... As long as you are quiet, do not touch my things or become a nuisance... you may stay." Her gaze flicked to the pieces scattered on Caly's bed. "And as long as the room does not become cluttered with... things."

Caly watched her with a deep green gaze. "Fair enough," she smiled and looked at her bed. "No sir. I promise to keep my clutter out of sight. And I promise to respect your space and privacy," she offered and looked back over that the young officer with a small smile. "And I won't chew on your slippers," she teased.

"And do be sure not to mark the carpet," she said, her tone and expression serious, but was there the faintest glimmer of humor in her eyes? She turned her attention to her PADD once more, picking it up to tap on it.

Calyca grinned and saluted. "Aye, aye, sir. No carpet marking. Got it," she nodded and laid back down on the bed, chuckling softly to herself. She glanced over at Shirik with a small smile and just kept reassembling
whatever the heck she was putting together.

***

The images came to her as if they'd just happened yesterday. She swallowed a lump in her throat and set the picture back on her dresser. She hadn't seen her friend in 3 years. The death of her husband had hit her hard, hit both of them hard. After all, she'd introduced them to each other. 

She could sorely use her friend right now. She would understand what was going on, what it meant, in a way nobody here could. She'd show up in her nightgown as she always did when she was needed, and they would sit and talk with ice cream. She wondered where her friend was now. She'd been transferred from Utopia Planitia before the Vanguard's refit. She suspected Caly's Admiral mother had her sent somewhere closer to home, where she could be near her family to recover from Jurell's loss. Out of all the people she'd lost over the years, that one was the one she felt keenest. Caly was the only family she had to her mind, the best friend she'd ever had, and her entire support structure at times when things went sideways. What would she do without her, she wondered.