Syl O'Connell
Flight Control
[TI8]
Posts: 662 Likes: 9
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Position: Flight Control/Caldonia 5
Species: Human
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Post by Syl O'Connell on Jun 4, 2021 15:18:12 GMT
[Ens. Syl O'Connell - Kerelia - Unsinkable II]Syl nodded in agreement, eyes darting back to the navigation screen to make sure they were on course, before she learned back and admired the scenery for a moment. "As much as I love being in space, I can see myself spending a lot of time down here." It wasn't Earth, but it had almost everything her home did, with the exception of ancient architecture. There was certainly plenty of untamed nature to enjoy.
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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 Jun 4, 2021 16:57:09 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - Unsinkable II]Judy helped herself to a bottle of water and took a sip. "That's a good idea," she voiced her approval. "After all you've survived, it'd be an absolute shame for you to be undone by burnout."The notes of genuine caring were evident in Judy's voice. "In general, I think too many in our line of work let themselves burn out."
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Syl O'Connell
Flight Control
[TI8]
Posts: 662 Likes: 9
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Position: Flight Control/Caldonia 5
Species: Human
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Post by Syl O'Connell on Jun 4, 2021 20:48:07 GMT
[Ens. Syl O'Connell - Kerelia - Unsinkable II]Taking a drink from her own water bottle, she reached into the cooler to pull out of the bagels with cream cheese. While she wasn't exactly hungry, she knew she needed to eat as often as her body would let her in order to have the energy it needed to continue healing. A small, appreciative smile appeared on her face at the comment of it being a shame if she burned out. It was much better than being considered a washout before her career had even begun. "I learned during my second year at the Academy the value of escaping every day life for awhile." That was when the fights had started, and as the year went on, the less time she wanted to spend in her dorm.
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 Jun 4, 2021 21:14:13 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - Unsinkable II]Whether out of a social urge or genuine appetite, Judy took a bagel with lox. "I really learned that lesson during my divorce, 20... no, 30 years ago," she said as she unwrapped it, doing the math in her head. After the words had come out, her mind wondered what exactly had motivated her to share such a personal detail, and truthfully, she wasn't sure. The sentiment had just escaped.
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Syl O'Connell
Flight Control
[TI8]
Posts: 662 Likes: 9
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Position: Flight Control/Caldonia 5
Species: Human
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Post by Syl O'Connell on Jun 5, 2021 2:49:43 GMT
[Ens. Syl O'Connell - Kerelia - Unsinkable II]"Nothing like a relationship going south to find out how nice it is to get away," she agreed quietly. Her gaze lowered to the bagel as she unwrapped it. She wasn't sure how much the older woman would infer from the information she'd given thus far, or how much she would choose to ask about. But Syl couldn't help but notice it was getting a little easier to talk to her, which was undoubtedly the point of this excursion.
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 Jun 5, 2021 21:09:57 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - Unsinkable II]By now, Judy could absolutely piece together, from what she knew of Syl's tumultuous involvement in that murder trial, and earlier comments, that the younger woman had been through hell at the Academy, in a toxic - or even abusive - relationship. And yet, she chose not to go at it head-on. "You also learn who your real friends are, and who's only there for you when times are good," she noted instead, speaking from her own experience.
Tag Syl O'Connell
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Syl O'Connell
Flight Control
[TI8]
Posts: 662 Likes: 9
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Position: Flight Control/Caldonia 5
Species: Human
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Post by Syl O'Connell on Jun 5, 2021 22:57:23 GMT
[Ens. Syl O'Connell - Kerelia - Unsinkable II]"It's not always that simple," Syl replied quietly. She was trying to get better about talking about it, and she knew of everyone on the station who should probable know what she'd been through, her Commanding Officer was very high on the list. So she took a deep breath and continued. "At first, everything's wonderful. Perfect. Just like you always wanted. So when the insecurities start showing up... Obviously, you've been doing something wrong to make him feel that way. So you try to fix it. And it'll get better for awhile... And then the fights start up again." Her gaze focused on the panel in front of her as her fingers tapped in a minor change in heading to stay on course. "Eventually, nothing you do fixes it. But you keep trying. Because it used to be perfect, so it can be again, you just have to be better. So you stop talking to your friends so he can't accuse you of cheating. You stop talking to your instructors so he can't accuse you of sleeping your way through the Academy. And you stop talking to your family so he can't accuse you of being brainwashed." Her voice cracked and a single tear slid down her cheek from behind her sunglasses. When she continued, her voice was barely above a whisper. "Then all of a sudden you have a black eye, and no one left in your life that you can turn to."
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 Jun 6, 2021 1:21:20 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - Unsinkable II]Judy was taken aback. She hadn't even thought that an abusive relationship of that length could play out over such a young life. And yet, it had, over what must've been all of Syl's Academy years, or close to it. That made some of the other pieces make sense. "Oy vey iz mir," she muttered, as she looked for the right word or gesture. Pushing up her sunglasses, she gave the young woman a long, worried look. "How long did it all go on?" she asked, an invitation to go on that was less direct than "how bad did it get?"
Tag Syl O'Connell
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Syl O'Connell
Flight Control
[TI8]
Posts: 662 Likes: 9
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Position: Flight Control/Caldonia 5
Species: Human
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Post by Syl O'Connell on Jun 6, 2021 1:27:19 GMT
[Ens. Syl O'Connell - Kerelia - Unsinkable II]The immediate question that followed was perhaps the easiest to answer. The young woman took a deep breath to steady her voice before she answered. "We got together a few months into our first year at the Academy. It was shortly after the second year started that he started picking fights." Syl paused again, willing herself to continue. "He was killed a few months before I graduated." With shaking hands, she took another bite of her bagel, trying to give herself something else to focus on, even for a moment. This wasn't the time, or the place, to completely break down.
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 Jun 6, 2021 1:50:02 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - Unsinkable II]By now, even "oy vey" wasn't quite going to cut it, as yet another detail became that much clearer. "Gosh... let's set the anchor down for a bit," she suggested. "That's basically your entire time eaten up by this horrible, abusive hell. Horrible."She held her hand out, a much gentler gesture than a hug, and one that was actually possible on the small boat.
Tag Syl O'Connell
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Syl O'Connell
Flight Control
[TI8]
Posts: 662 Likes: 9
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Position: Flight Control/Caldonia 5
Species: Human
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Post by Syl O'Connell on Jun 6, 2021 2:30:44 GMT
[Ens. Syl O'Connell - Kerelia - Unsinkable II]Chewing slowly, she finally swallowed, and set the bagel down as her stomach rebelled against it. When then suggestion came to drop the anchor, Syl nodded and tapped the commands in. The boat slowed to a stop, but the engines still rumbled quietly. "The fights started about our classes. He couldn't handle that I was better than him, but instead of working harder, practicing and studying more... He just accused me of cheating, or sleeping with the instructors." Her gaze remained on her hands in her lap, one fingernail scraping at another. If she saw the hand reach out, she didn't acknowledge it. "When it only got worse in our third year... I stopped turning in all my assignments. Started answering questions wrong on the tests. Slowed down my reaction times and hit the wrong button in the practicals." It was the first time she ever admitted to intentionally performing poorly in her classes. The first time someone would finally know why she had so suddenly 'washed out' halfway through her time as a cadet. Syl felt her chest constrict as she waited for the response.
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 Jun 6, 2021 16:49:46 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - Unsinkable II]Judy was, metaphorically speaking, floored. This story just got more and more heartbreaking. She set her hand back on her armrest, and took a moment to look for the right words. "Horrible, horrible," she muttered. "It's shocking, that someone can want to possess you so much as to utterly destroy you like that. Horrible."
Tag Syl O'Connell
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Syl O'Connell
Flight Control
[TI8]
Posts: 662 Likes: 9
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Position: Flight Control/Caldonia 5
Species: Human
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Post by Syl O'Connell on Jun 6, 2021 19:08:37 GMT
[Ens. Syl O'Connell - Kerelia - Unsinkable II]Syl took a sip from her water bottle, grateful that at least for now the Captain wasn't asking for specific details. A dry, humorless smile crossed her face as she continued. "It's strange to think about... If it hadn't been for him, I never would have ended up on Caldonia." She would have graduated at the top of her class and had her choice of posts... Front Ear would not have even been on her radar. "But in a twisted way, if it hadn't been for him... I never would have survived Caldonia, either." When she woke up in The Pit, she already had the experience to figure out quickly which guards to avoid angering, and which guards to avoid entirely. With so many other prisoners surrounding her at all times, it became quite easy to avoid drawing unwanted attention to herself. If Syl hadn't gone through what she had... she likely would have been receiving just as many beatings as Kova, Matt, and Shavan, and she'd never had the physical condition to withstand it even before her chronic injuries.
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 Jun 7, 2021 0:50:36 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - Unsinkable II]That was profound, and Judy wasn't quite sure what to say about it. It certainly wouldn't do to express anything positive - Syl had gone through two horrible events, after all - but regret didn't feel quite right either. "Life finds a way, I suppose," she said, hesitantly. "Hopefully your future will be brighter. I'll certainly do what I can to make it so."The least she could do was watch out for this poor Ensign.
Tag Syl O'Connell
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Syl O'Connell
Flight Control
[TI8]
Posts: 662 Likes: 9
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Position: Flight Control/Caldonia 5
Species: Human
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Post by Syl O'Connell on Jun 7, 2021 1:42:27 GMT
[Ens. Syl O'Connell - Kerelia - Unsinkable II]Since the Captain seemed satisfied with not asking for any more details, Syl took another bite of her bagel, this time chewing and swallowing quickly before her stomach could decide it didn't want food. At the reassuring statement, she only shrugged. She knew there was only so much a Captain would actually be able to protect her from... A dangerous away mission? Certainly. An abusive relationship or disappointed parents? Not at all. "Things are going alright for now," she replied after swallowing the bite. "I'm not living on eggshells, and I have a few people in my corner again. Sometimes that's all that matters." And a couple of those people she knew would be able to protect her if anyone decided to victimize her again.
Tag Judith Eastman
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