<USS Avalon> Revelations by Ens. Anthony Manson and Ens. Alder Shimbrodus
- From: Anthony Manson <circus_ofde_damned@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Avalon Sim <avalon@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 28 Dec 2003 15:26:38 -0800 (PST)
Revelations
by Ens. Anthony Manson and Ens. Alder Shimbrodus
"So, tell me about what you did on earth."
"Nothing big to tell about," Anthony shrugged as he answered Alder?s question.
They were in the mess hall having lunch. The conversation started since Anthony
entered the mess hall under the invitation of Alder. Not being a conversational
person, he tried his best. Unfortunately, this particular subject had stopped
him and instinctively made him close up. There was nothing Anthony wanted to
tell about since he himself was not happy with it. He blamed part of that- most
of it- on himself, and part of it on his mother; his only parent.
"What do you mean? Of course you have something to tell, anything. Just tell
away." Alder pressed on. He was determined to get more out of this person.
Considering his personality, he probably wasn?t on anyone?s list to get to
know. And being Alder, he had to know. His own agenda at hand, and his own
reasons for the simple story of the people he took interest in. Having lunch
was his idea and thought it was best in order to have things cleared.
"Just nothing. It wasn?t like anyone?s little childhood story." Anthony quickly
replied.
"Since when do you base anyone?s story on the same background?" Alder asked. "I
mean, no one has the same mom and dad with a white picket fence and a dog named
Sparky. Or getting a skimmer at sixteen."
Anthony shook his head, "getting technical on me won?t help you at all. I just
don?t have anything to say about me before entering Starfleet. There really
isn?t anything to tell about since most of the time I spent training my mind."
His memory raced right through as he thought about it. He indeed never liked
how things turned out for him, and it became the only reason why he joined
Starfleet. Noticing the a crack in Anthony?s wall of mystery, Alder said, "hah!
You put yourself in the hole. Training you mind, eh? Well, tell me about that."
"You?re damn relentless you know that?"
Alder smiled, not giving a response.
"Fine. I?ll give you the short version of it all."
"How bout a long one?" Alder responded, not missing a beat. He figured if he
pressed on a little, he?d get what he wanted.
"A short one, or you don?t get to know anything at all." Anthony reiterated his
offer again with an ultimatum. Alder simply nodded. "I went to the Ullian
Telepathy Institute when I was six- was there until I was seventeen which I
manage to get complete control of my telepathy," Anthony shrugged again,
"nothing special, see."
"That is got to be the shortest story not even worth a free cup of coffee in
the best coffee house in New Lakewood I?ve ever heard. Damn, Manson, tell me
something. Anything, and it better not be short."
Anthony frowned. His concern about Anthony?s background was something
very...strange- for the only word he could come up with in his head. He didn?t
understand this keen, frontal force, and endlessly annoying need to know about
him in order to satisfy the person?s curiosity that sat directly in front of
him.
Not wavering from his annoyance, and he was going to let it be known, "why is
it so damn important?" The second he said that, he wish he took it back. It
wasn?t meant to be hostile, and it seem to only make it worse since Anthony had
a quiet tone. Now it all seem as if it just wasn?t any of his friend?s damn
business. On one end, Anthony highly agreed to that; on the other, he knew for
a fact he was in the wrong; it was just plain curiosity.
Alder put his hands up, showing that he didn?t mean anything by it. He wasn?t
too sure what he did to make Anthony angry. Looking at Anthony, he wasn?t sure
if he wanted to press on since Anthony had practically rebuffed all his
attempts. "Alright, alright. Geez, don?t blow a gasket. It was just a question.
No harm."
"It?s not that, Alder. It?s just..." He hesitated a little to form his
explanation. "It?s just not something I talk about since most of it seem to be
on one purpose: training. That?s all. So whatever it is you?re looking or
wanting to hear is not coming from me, cause- as I said, there?s nothing to
tell."
There was a brief silence amidst them. And Anthony had still wondered why he
was suddenly so important. If anything, he didn?t ask Alder about his life
before Starfleet anymore then he wanted to know or anymore than Alder wanted to
tell. It wasn?t that Anthony was being a prick about this; it just never
occurred to him to take an interest in anyone else; or for that matter their
background. In his view, if there was a friend he had, he didn?t need to ask
lest it troubled his own welfare.
"So..." Alder said, breaking the silence. He was on his own pondering whether
this would be the best time to tell or not. And this challenge he faced with
Anthony had only made his goal ever more important to know. It was a sudden
intrigue to him to know more of Anthony. It was the utter lack of his life that
Alder wanted to know more. He had realized that he like Anthony. His quietness,
his utter and complete lack of concern for anything about his own life, and
what seem to be the solitude that he was accustomed to that attracted Alder.
He shook his head, this was no time to be distracted. Not when he had suddenly
decided that this was the golden opportunity to tell. To Alder, this would be
the moment in time; it would end very badly, or it would turn out good. He felt
as if this was the cross roads, and no matter how many times he passed this
cross road it held the same feelings; nervousness, anxiety, and near fright.
Anthony looked up, he sensed something from Alder like a fog that even if he
tried to ignore it, it would still be there. A strong emotion of some sort
spilled out from Alder like a tidal wave; but it streamed out like gentle mist
after a rainy day. It was just too noticeable. Anthony didn?t say anything. If
he did, he?d upset whatever it was Alder was trying to get out or put back. Not
to mention that he probably would be accused of reading his mind or some such.
He was not about to let that happen, but he tried to see if he could get Alder
to tell. So he asked, "Yeah?"
"Yeah, uh...look there was more to this than lunch." Alder relaxed himself
against the chair, "just know that I do this with everyone- and most of them
are still my friends."
"What are talking about?" Anthony cut to the point.
"I?m...god, happens like this every time. You?ll have to forgive me, I thought
this would be easy. Then again, every time I say that and actually do, it?s
harder then you think." Alder had shook his head as he explained, "I mean it?s
not such a big deal. But really, it could be, and you know how..."
Anthony blinked, and nearly laughed at the other man?s nervousness. He wasn?t
going to laugh, since he knew himself all about nervousness. His three minute
talk with Captain K?etrall was enough to confirm that. "Alder, Alder, you?re
babbling. What are you trying to say?"
Alder hesitated and tried again, but each time he opened his mouth, nothing
came out. Instead, he quickly made a rash decision. He admitted to himself that
it was a cowardly way of doing this. Not only that, it confused him how he
managed to do this with everyone but this one person. "You?re a telepath, read
my mind."
Anthony shook his head, "I don?t read people?s minds, Alder. I can, but even
with their permission, I wouldn?t."
Alder then leaned against the table. "You won?t." Making it sound like that was
the end of this little gathering.
"Won?t."
Alder frowned. "Look, I would tell you, but you know the saying ?easier said
than done?."
Anthony shook his head, "Yeah, believe me I know that. I just don?t think it?s
a good idea..."
"Just try. It?ll probably explain everything."
Anthony looked at Alder in the eyes whose was determined and yet unsure. This
was not looking up in Anthony?s view, and against his better judgement in this;
shaking his head, "alright. But don?t expect me to get whatever it is you?re
trying to tell me after this." Without moment?s hesitation Anthony stilled his
body like a zombie waiting to be given a command, he closed his eyes and spread
his mind outward.
Alder looked at him and realized he shouldn?t have done that and panicked a
little, he had forgotten in that instant that he didn?t want Anthony knowing
that he was starting to like him in that way. Alder?s nervousness heightened,
and right now he didn?t know what to do. He sat there frozen.
Reaching into Alder?s mind, he skimmed the surface thoughts- making sure that
he wouldn?t go deep. Small and static images went past Anthony?s searching
eyes- they were fuzzy enough that he couldn?t make out anything form it. He
wasn?t as good as a regular telepath, far from it. There was a spike in Alder?s
already high emotions, and this time it felt as if he was trying to hide
something else. Anthony didn?t try to find out what that was, assuming that
whatever he was hiding, it was something he didn?t need to know and had no
right prying into. He left it, and continued to search quickly.
And then it hit. Anthony got the full thought that Alder wanted to explain. He
opened his eyes to see Alder just looking at him. He looked back, and all he
could say was, "oh."
Alder sighed outwardly, "yeah. Easier said then done....So, that?s how it is."
Alder interlaced his hands together and just looked across.
Anthony shrugged again. It would have been easier if Alder had said it. In
fact, Anthony didn?t mind at all. If that was who he was, then that was who he
was going to accept. It wasn?t a hard thing really. As long as this didn?t get
complicated because of mixed feelings in Alder, this would be fine. "Okay, so
you are. You don?t need to worry. If it?s the secret you want to be kept, it?s
kept."
"No, it wasn?t that. It?s what comes after I tell that I squirm. A lot of
people have said a lot of things that aren?t exactly good for the ears- or for
self-esteem. And very few have accepted it." Alder smiled, etched with relief.
Anthony knew there was a thanks in Alder?s response. "Don?t mention it. I got
to get back to my work."
"You?re going to have company, Phillipa switched with me just before I called
you."
Anthony got up, "Alright, let?s go then. I?ve got reports on systems all around
the ship and what seem to be relays being overloaded." Both men exited as
Anthony quickly explained, "There?s even this engineer that got injured..."
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