<USS Avalon> Wanting to Bring the Past Alive

Wanting to Bring the Past Alive
by. Lieutenant Junior Caine Reilly McKinsely

Caine was sitting in her office, rereading the last message she had gotten from 
her parents.  For some odd reason, they had decided to write one up and send it 
that way instead of sending a vid-clip.  

The waiting room doors opened and a young woman came walking in.  ?Hello, 
Counselor McKinsely,? the woman said with a strained smile on her face.

?Yes, that?s me, but please call me Caine,? Caine moved around the front of her 
desk and shook hands with the woman.  ?You must Jennifer Chamberlain; please, 
come a seat on my couch. Would you like something to drink??  Getting a glass 
of lemonade for herself and a glass of ice tea for Jennifer, Caine came back to 
the couch and sat down next to the woman.

?So?um, what are we supposed to do help?  Do I just tell you what?s wrong and 
you fix it??  The girl asked, sipping a bit of tea.

?Well, saying fix it makes me sound like a handy man, which, even though I have 
tried once or twice, I?m not,? Caine smiled openly at the woman, wanting her to 
relax.  ?What can happen is, you tell me what you are comfortable with my 
knowing and I assist you in working out the problem and give advice.  This is a 
joint venture that you and I have to take together.?

Jennifer sat there for a moment looking at her tea.  ?So, you?re sort of like 
just one of the guides I am to meet on my way through life?? she asked softly.

?Yes, I am just like a guide you are to meet on your way through this world,? 
Caine replied, making a mental note that that is a good way to put her job 
description.

They sat in silence for a few moments but the woman needed this time to put 
mind together and to think of all she wanted to tell Caine.  Finally the woman 
looked up and began speaking softly.  She started off telling how she grew; her 
childhood and how her parents had raised her and the things they told her were 
proper for a young lady and unproper.  Jennifer talked of along while before 
she even got to her problem.  ?Caine, my parents always told me that if I was 
to ever make something of myself, I would have to follow in their footsteps.  
My dad was an Executive Officer of Starfleet until he was injured and unable to 
perform his duty; my mom was the Chief Engineer of the same ship.  Once my 
father hurt himself, my mother reassigned to work as an Engineer on a Star 
base.  They never really left Starfleet and they know nothing outside of it.?  
Jennifer was quiet for a few moments before she whispered.  ?I want to leave.?

Caine sat there for a moment thinking.  ?What do you want to do??

?I want to go to old places,? she said with a smile.  ?I want to dig up old 
ruins and artifacts, I want to be down on the dirt discovering past life.  I 
don?t like the stars, they have no real meaning for me, I want to be in the 
past not the future.?  

A smile crossed Caine?s mouth as she listened to the girl talk about her want 
to be an archeologist, a very noble desire.  ?And you don?t want to do this 
because of what your parents will think, is that correct??

Jennifer nodded slowly, knowing how foolish it all must seem.  A grown woman 
not doing what she wants to because of her parents.

Caine was just about to tell the girl of how she could handle this situation 
when a mechanism on her wrist began to beep.  The girl stood up quickly.  ?I 
hate to talk and run but I am on duty now.  Can I come back tomorrow at the 
same time to talk to you?? she asked hurriedly.

?Yes of course,? Caine said as she watched the girl rush out of her office.  
She went and sat down behind her desk again, thinking of Jennifer.  It wasn?t 
long before she came up with a pretty decent idea for a solution.  Caine smiled 
as she went back to work.


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