<USS Avalon> The New Friend by Ens. Anthony Manson with Ens. Alder Shimbrodus (NPC)

The New Friend

by Ens. Anthony Manson with Ens. Alder Shimbrodus (NPC)

I like the nights. It quieter then the usual fare around the vessel during the 
day. There is serene peace that radiates around, as if everyone?s tension and 
business is done for the day- and would only resume tomorrow. This was truly a 
rare moment. People were as calm as water streaming down the river to seeming 
endlessness. No one buzzed with thoughts, or worries. Nothing that I could pick 
up, or not notice. The last few days were a little less calm, but today was 
definitely tranquil.

Imagine placing yourself at a lake. It?s night time, and the trees sway a 
little as the wind brushes by. You sit on the grass, and if not sitting right, 
the delicate blades of the grass would tickle you. And you look up into the 
sky, as you stretch your body on the ground- your toes sinking just so into the 
lake giving you a cold feel. You look further, just beyond the trees, and you 
see the moon surrounded by blinking lights and a few clouds flying by. That 
moon becomes the light source for your vision, and it wouldn?t change- for 
tonight- the moon knew exactly how you felt as well. It was peace. It was 
bliss. 

That was how I was feeling as all seem quiet. It was one of those unexpected 
gifts that dropped in. 

I wonder if it has anything to do with the mission the Captain told us about. 
Maybe the crew found a different venue to shift their attention on. Which was 
good; I was becoming less and less impatient by the day with more rumors about 
the commanders? little confrontation. 

Rumors are that, rumors. Yet, you have to admit that people can become 
absent-mindedly ridiculous on how they build their fairy tales. One built onto 
another. And the very rumor itself is stupid considering that there is no 
slight truth in it. No, people just start it for gossip. It?s funny sometimes. 
Just not the last few days, that?s all.

I looked out into the stars, cupping a hot cup of tea in my hands as I was 
comfortably seated in a chair that gave the perfect view of the spaceways. The 
mess hall was pretty much empty- a few lingering people catching a meal or two. 
I paid no attention; I was just fixated upon the stars. They blinked in and out 
in their every fascinating radiance, as if they were telling you a story. And 
if you knew how to decode that story, you?d be able to finally understand the 
secret behind them. They suddenly became a fascination only your imagination 
could hold, could comprehend, could smile in it?s brilliance. 

But since their radiance had no answers to decode, I settled to just looking 
out at them.

Or maybe I?ll try to program the holodeck for that lake night view. I don?t go 
into holodecks often; and I?ve always been meaning to try that. I guess I never 
got around to it. Maybe it?s about time I do. A lot of relaxation could be 
done. Heck, if I felt as ease just thinking and visualizing it, imagine what 
the holodeck could do. I could even place my meditation there- if I had the 
time. A sudden decision approved of the idea, now all it required me to do was 
to actually do what I say I?ll do and not start the classic "get to it when I 
can," bit. That, too, is another bad habit of mine. 

My thoughts must have deepened because I didn?t realize someone calling out to 
me when I looked up to see a man standing at the side of the chair I was 
sitting on. He seemed tall, maybe six feet, yeah, six feet and lean at it. I 
blinked, and shook my head slightly. "I?m sorry, what?" I managed to get out 
instead of looking like a complete dummy.

"You?re Anthony Manson right?" He asked.

"Yeah, that?s me. What?s up?" 

"My name?s Alder Shimbrodus," He looked at the seat that had been placed in 
front of me. Not that it wasn?t there before. I should have moved it earlier 
like I wanted to since my eyes tended to drift to the seat when what I wanted 
was to look out there, "mind if I sit here with ya?"

I shook my head, "help yourself."

He sat down, and then almost like liquid reflex he extended his hand. I held 
the cup with my left hand and shook; and then went back to getting relaxed into 
my seat. 

He smiled, as he seemed to be comfortable. "So, I hear you?re the new 
Operations officer. How do you like it on the Avalon?"

"It?s a change for me, so it?s good. And what about you, what do you do?"

"Oh, I?m the off-duty Operations officer."

I raised an eyebrow. I didn?t know. "Oh."

"Yeah, I usually fill in for Phillipa whenever she needs to take the helm." 

I smiled. So, he was the one that was constantly changing the preferences of 
the Ops control board. I started noticing this when I came in for my shift, and 
the controls were in a complete different pattern. I was used to the ordinary 
way. I had asked Phillipa if she had changed it, but she said she didn?t. I 
hadn?t asked anyone else since Phillipa was the only one I knew that manned the 
Ops console from time to time.

"Ah, you?re the one changing the settings on the console."

Alder chuckled lightly, "yeah. Sorry about that. I just find the settings a 
little weird."

I shrugged.

Alder is pale skinned, short hair, square jaw, and what seemed to be 
green/brown eyes. He just looked at me as I tried remembering him just incase I 
ran into him another time. Not being the anti-social here, (or at least trying 
not to), but I doubted if I saw him around again after this. He just smiled.

"Have you made any friends?"

It seemed like an odd question. But then again, there was point to it. 
"No...never really had any friends."

"Well, then consider me a friend. In fact, why don?t you come to holodeck 2 
tomorrow at seven. A few others, Sarah, Greg, are gonna be there."

"What is it?" I asked. My mind seemed to be ready to say no.

"Shooting range. More like target practice really. How bout it? We need an 
extra player anyway. Having three always makes the match uneven." 

I thought about it. Shooting; can?t be that bad. New people to meet; that can 
make me go hide. But generally, nothing to lose. "Sure, I?ll be there."

"Great. I gotta get going. Phillipa is going to throw a fit I took so long for 
a break."

I smiled, "sure. See ya then."

Alder got up and headed out. How odd, really. I?ve never had a person come up 
to me, introduce themself, and then invite me to something only he and his 
friends are used to doing together. As I has said, I never really had friends. 
Acquaintances are one thing, friends a completely different story.

I guess I?ve just made a friend.



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