William Waring
Engineering/Ops
[TI20]
Posts: 44 Likes: 0
Rank: Ensign
Position: Operations
Species: Human
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Post by William Waring on May 11, 2021 2:22:39 GMT
[Ens. William Waring - LZ-2] "You don't have to ma'am..." he objected, though ultimately useless as the Captain continued her path to a nearby bench. This excursion was anything but what he expected it to be since the inclusion of feelings into the air. He had previously worried about being too distant from his shipmates but now, as he went to catch up to the Captain, he wondered if perhaps he would be a little too close. That was a whole different set of worries he had to think about now. Being more known meant being better remembered, and being better remembered meant being more likely to go on an away mission, and being more likely to go on an away mission means a higher chance of injury, and a high chance of injury means a high chance of death. He didn't want to die! Will trailed behind the Captain and sat himself down on the bench to listen as Judy mentioned her old posting as XO during the War, a position that no doubt had many unexpected promotions. He may be socially incapable but even he could see that she was still effected by the events of the War "For what it's worth ma'am, I never heard a family blame the crew of a starship when they lost someone. Starfleet, yes. The Admiralty, yes. The starship command crew was never blamed during my time with my Uncle. Our system never had any families of the Whirlaway but I would bet that the feeling I describe is universal. I was angry and crushed when the news of my parents death was given to me but I realized then, as I do now, that they were a necessary part of our fight against an entity that would've inflicted much worse upon us. If your crew was anything like my folks, they were taking the fight to those Dominion bastards and they should be celebrated, not mourned."His attempt to speak 'from the heart' often felt like a rambling mess. He just hoped that this time he wouldn't be a rambling mess and instead actually be of some tangible usefulness.
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on May 11, 2021 3:56:58 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - LZ-2]Judy breathed deeply as she sat down. "What can I say? It's complicated. It's not really about the guilt so much for me, not anymore, but about a call to action for us, the living, to keep going, to use the time that we have as best as we can," she explained her philosophy. "But enough of that for now. They're working on the nav beacons on the approach to the new shuttleport, and someone has to make sure they don't blow anything up."Looking at the shuttleport across the street, she saw an ATV right there. "Your Captain's too old to hoof it, don't you think?"It was just like her to pivot, naturally but not subtly, from topic to topic.
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William Waring
Engineering/Ops
[TI20]
Posts: 44 Likes: 0
Rank: Ensign
Position: Operations
Species: Human
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Post by William Waring on May 12, 2021 2:42:04 GMT
[Ens. William Waring - LZ-2] Will made sounds of understanding as Judy described her philosophy regarding the War and possibly life in general. It wasn't an uncommon view as he had found out during his time as a Cadet and Officer. A lot of people adopted a view similar to Judy's after the dust had cleared from the War and the Federation Worlds had to pick up the pieces. The War had certainly changed the galaxy and he wasn't always sure that this modern age was any better then the previous decades, but he didn't have much time to ponder that as Judy was once again back on the task at hand. He nodded in agreement about the comment about explosions as he stood up and looked in the direction that Judy directed, finding the ATV. He finally thought his nerves were settling down when he got hit with the old question. Does he agree to go along but end up calling the Captain old? Or does he disagree and look like an asskisser looking to get in good with the Captain. He only had moments to decide on a response before his silence would be noted so in a moment of panic he pulled the trigger on an answer... "Uh...what is age but a number ma'am!" he said, complete with pep. Just like that he had gone right down the middle and not only seemed like a cop out but also like those people who believe aging isn't a physical process. What a trifecta of a bad answer! If he wasn't kicking himself over it he may have just submitted it to the Awkward Hall of Fame! He just wished that the ATV would run him over and end it all.
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on May 12, 2021 3:48:52 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - LZ-2]Judy chuckled, finding the rather awkward comment amusing in its way. "Oh, my face was much smoother 40 years ago," she quipped as she walked to the ATV, taking the driver's seat. She had aged quite gracefully, with relatively gentle wrinkles, and had quite a bit of stamina (thanks in part to that heart replacement almost two years ago), but at 64, she was visibly mature. "I've got six grandchildren now, two more on the way, so I've got every reason to keep looking forward."The grandchildren were a favored topic of conversation, always.
Tag William Waring
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William Waring
Engineering/Ops
[TI20]
Posts: 44 Likes: 0
Rank: Ensign
Position: Operations
Species: Human
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Post by William Waring on May 13, 2021 18:23:13 GMT
[Ens. William Waring - LZ-2] The Captain's reaction to his lame-ass comment was more then he deserved but he opted to just let it be. He made his way to the ATV as the Captain spoke her grandchildren, another fact he hadn't known before now. Judy was certainly different from the Captains he was told to expect. She was nice, accommodating, and seemed to genuinely care for each crewman, not just the crew as a whole. Perhaps it was just this segment of space as she wasn't the first person to defy the expectations he was given, or perhaps he was just an idiot. That was also entirely possible. "You seem to have a wonderful family, ma'am" he said while making sure he had everything he needed before getting in the ATV "You are lucky to have such a large family. Do you get to see them often?"
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on May 13, 2021 22:25:20 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - LZ-2]"Some of them, yes," Judy answered as she started the ATV and began driving on the sand. "I've got two of my four kids living on the station. There's Lawrence, who's... old enough that he doesn't like me saying that number out loud, who's out here with his wife and kids. Then there's my youngest, Anna, who's 15, so she still lives with us - because she has to. The rest of the family's back on Earth."As she spoke, Judy drove the ATV increasingly fast, a New Yorker through and through. The beacon they were heading for, a small, dome-shaped object, was visible further down the coast.
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William Waring
Engineering/Ops
[TI20]
Posts: 44 Likes: 0
Rank: Ensign
Position: Operations
Species: Human
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Post by William Waring on May 16, 2021 2:13:20 GMT
[Ens. William Waring - LZ-2] "I've heard that having family nearby helps with morale...or at least that's what I was told, so it's nice that you have them close" he said as the ATV started to take them to their destination "I'm afraid my side of the family tree is pretty barren. We never had a big family as long as I can remember, just my parents, Uncle Jim, and I. No real get togethers for holidays because of my parents careers. No siblings, no cousins, no grandparents. Just Excelsior, Uncle Jim, and I." he sat quick for a moment "Oh! Uh... Excelsior is my dog, not the ship even though I do have a model of it..."
It was at this time that he noticed the ATV had been going considerably faster then when he last noticed "Uh... ma'am..." he squeaked "Safety first?"
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on May 16, 2021 18:16:59 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - LZ-2]Truth be told, Will's small family sounded a bit sad to Judy, who had spent her whole life surrounded by various relatives. As for her driving... "Kiddo, I learned to drive on the mean streets of New York. This is nothing," she said. The Captain spoke with a hint of her hometown accent, which seemed to get a little more pronounced as she mentioned the Big Apple[fn]OOC: Think of the way Streep actually talks, or a very light version of FDR's accent, not Bernie Sanders'.[/fn]. "As for dogs, we do have a fair number of pets running around the station. I have two corgis myself, rather plump ones called Bridge and Tunnel."The ATV began to slow down as they approached the first beacon.
Tag William Waring
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William Waring
Engineering/Ops
[TI20]
Posts: 44 Likes: 0
Rank: Ensign
Position: Operations
Species: Human
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Post by William Waring on May 20, 2021 4:35:53 GMT
[Ens. William Waring - LZ-2] "If you say so ma'am" he reluctantly said, opting to not quote the regulations pertaining to terrestrial speed limits "I...uh...didn't think they still drove on Earth, ya know with the transporter network and public transit..." he stated as he silently praised the universe for not ending his life in a car wreck on this ball of dirt. "They sound like they'd be little furryballs, Captain. Bridge and Tunnel are unique names for pets...not that I have room to talk. Is that a reference to the...the um...Big Apple! That's the one. Are they a reference to the 'Big Apple'?" he asked as the ATV slowed to a stop and wasting no time to exit the vehicle (and almost kissing the ground) "Good news, it appears to be a fitting lack of explosions!"
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on May 21, 2021 22:08:06 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - LZ-2, Kerelia]Judy concealed her amusement at Will's reaction to her driving. She did so love the surprise factor that inevitably came when she took the wheel, but there was no need to be mean about such things. "Well, we refer to hooligans from the outer boroughs and Jersey - so, everything outside Manhattan - as 'bridge and tunnel types', and my dogs are hooligans," she said of the corgis. There was also a job to do. "Let's look at the piping down here," she indicated a pit beside the beacon. Crouching on the sand, she cast her head into it. "The EPS conduit is capped, that's good, and you can see the seismic reinforcement frame here is all set up. Everything is good."However, having gotten down, her knees were now angry at her. It certainly would be nice to brace herself against something - or someone - as she stood up. "Could you give me a hand, young man?" she asked.
Tag William Waring
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William Waring
Engineering/Ops
[TI20]
Posts: 44 Likes: 0
Rank: Ensign
Position: Operations
Species: Human
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Post by William Waring on May 27, 2021 7:57:19 GMT
[Ens. William Waring - LZ-2] "Very...informative ma'am. I will be sure to remember that for if I ever visit New York on my one day off a year..." he couldn't help but chuckle as he said it. Sometimes he cracked himself up if no one else. The chuckles continued as Judy pointed out the EPS Conduit, a piece that made Will chime in after the Captain had given her assessment "Captain...if I may, I believe a deeper survey should be done of the conduit and its junctions. With...with the violations we've seen so far and the importance of these conduits, I believe it would be prudent to double check on anything we can't see... ma'am?" Will looked back to where the Captain was and found her still kneeling on the ground and apparently had asked for assistance "I am so sorry, Captain! Here!" he said panicky as he extended his hand (and arm) to help the Captain back to her feet "Ma'am...um...perhaps...perhaps I should be the one doing the kneeling. That's not to say you're old, or incapable! I just think-" he was silenced by his own screaming internal voice telling him to shut up and shut up now. Perhaps he didn't talk too much...
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on May 27, 2021 16:49:07 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - LZ-2]Judy took the hand and steadied herself as she got up. "There's a lot that I am incapable of, young man, and other things I'm capable of, but my joints don't like. You'll see what I mean in... 40 years or so," she remarked. Being old wasn't fun. That was just life. "Now, if you'd like, you can walk the conduit. Head down that ladder, turn right, and walk to the next beacon. I'll pick you up there."Judy could handle ladders, but it was better when she had her knee braces on, which today, she did not.
Tag William Waring
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