(Re)Learning

Posted on 02 Dec 2014 @ 5:20pm by Lieutenant Jared Nicholas
Edited on on 03 Dec 2014 @ 3:00am

1,330 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: Starbase 84 - Jared's Office
Timeline: MD 2, 1130

[ON]

Decon was boring. Wintrow was almost beside himself with boredom now. He couldn't fly, because the ship was offlimits, and he couldn't fly, because he couldn't leave this area of the starbase.

What was he going to do with all this time? He had tried to send his grandfather a message earlier but when trying to compose it in the Betazed native language he had come up sorely short. Scrolling through the personnel list however, the teenager discovered the Galileo actually had a linguist.

Now, several minutes later, he knocked on the door of the man's temporary office on the base.

Jared sat up suddenly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The baby had been up much of the night and he hadn't gotten much sleep. He he had been nodding of staring at the monitor.

"Come in," he said.

Sensing the man's exhaustion, the boyish looking young man stopped dead in his tracks just after stepping inside. "You're tired," he said timidly, "I can come back another time."

Jared shook his head, "No, I've got a newborn, it will be a long time before I'm not tired. What can I do for you?"

"I was trying to compose a letter to my grandather....but I got stuck on the language. My grandfather is Betazoid...I was born and raised on Earth. Didn't know he was alive until a couple of months ago."

"Well I can help you write the letter, just tell me what you want to say, or better yet I can teach you some basics and you you can do the next one on your own. Nice to hear about your grandpa though."

"I'm half Betazoid sir..." Wintrow hesitated, "I just don't know the language, so yes I'd like to learn more."

"Well I'll be happy to teach you, I was your age once and I just love to teach."

The boy just stared for a long moment before carefully offering his opinion. "I should hope you were once sir.... and thank you."

"What I mean is I know what's like. I didn't have a family, but I had good friends and that was almost better."

"So do I. I was alone growing up, dad away a lot...and my mother..." Wintrow shook his head, not wanting to get into detail. "My guardian is nice, I really miss him. He's like the big brother I never had, and his husband used to be my roommate."

"I too had a mentor much like that. Though we were... probably a bit closer than you and yours. But it sounds like we have a similar background."

"Were you abused by a sibling?" Wintrow asked carefully, while tapping away at his PADD, making an effort to translate his letter into Betazoid.

"Not by a sibling, but yes I was abused."

"No-one should have to endure it," the boy whispered sadly, shaking his head. "I'm sorry sir..." He turned the PADD around, hoping to change the subject. "This is what I have so far...."

Jared could tell the conversation made him uncomfortable and he was treading on ground that made him feel the same way, so he was glad for the change of subject. He glanced down at the boy's work and could not help but smile.

"Not a bad start," he ventured, "but why don't you tell be what you want to say and I'll translate for you. Let you input it yourself, if you want."

Wintrow nodded. "I just want to tell him that I've transferred to another vessel and that I'm doing okay."

"Okay, I can help with that. Is there anything else you want to tell or ask him?"

"I want to know how he's been doing and if he's well, and when I can see him again. I also want to tell him about Nesh, and her sister's wedding. I'm her date you see....and I'm sure grandpa would love to hear his grandson is dating someone."

"Sure," Jared responded, "I can take care of that for you." Then spelling things phonetically for the teen, he helped him complete the letter.

Beaming at him, Wintrow held the PADD to him. "Thank you sir, thank you," he babbled gratefully.

'It's quite alright Wintrow, now why don't we set up a time once or twice a week where we can sit down together and I can teach you Betazoid. If you want to that is."

"Oh very much sir! It feels like I'm regaining half of my heritage. I grew up on earth sir, with very little knowledge about my Betazoid half. My step mom thought it was nonsense, because we lived on earth and I wasn't going anywhere anyway."

"Well learning a language is more than just learning words, or how to write out a sentence. It's about learning a culture as well. So I think this will be helpful to you."

Wintrow nodded. "I don't really know the culture either," he admitted, "I mean, I know I'm an empath because I can sense people's feelings quite easily, but I haven't had any formal training. I had this strange sense all my life but it didn't go into full development until a few years ago."

"Well. maybe I can help you there too. I'm not a Betazoid, but I am something of an empath."

"You are?" The boy's eyes widened in surprise, then studied him closely. "How, if you're not Betazoid?"

"Well, like you I was abused as well. For me part of that abuse was not just sexual. They experimented on my brain."

"I'm sorry to here that sir....I shouldn't have asked, I'm sorry.." Almost instantly, the boy's enthusiasm had vaporized, like snow before the sun.

"It's okay Wintrow you had no way of knowing. I've learned to deal with it. I had lots of good people in my life."

"I didn't," Wintrow blurted out before he could stop himself. "Not until my dad arranged a yeoman's spot for me on a ship. Suddenly, I gained this giant family that I had no idea how to work with. In a way though by sending me away, dad saved my life so I wonder if he had known all along."

"I don't know son, and I'm not counselor, but if you want someone to talk to I'm here for you."

"Thank you but I think...it's best to leave that to the counselor sir. But thank you, I appreciate it."

"I understand, Wintrow, you're probably right. But why don't we set up a regular time for your linguistic lesson. What's a good time for you."

"I'm on alpha shift sir, so any time after that works for me. I'm happy to adjust to your schedule sir."

"Well how about 1730 every Thursday. Does that work for you?"

"Works for me sir, for as long as there's no shift changes sir." He paused. "Won't it interfere with your off duty time sir? I heard you have a family..."

"I think I can spare the time and it will do me good to get out and about. To pay it forward so to speak."

Wintrow smiled. "Thursday next week then? Should I bring dinner sir?"

Jared nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, that would be fine. What did you have in mind to eat?"

"Oh I don't know yet sir...I don't plan ahead on those things. Whatever strikes my fancy. Do you have specific requirements sir?"

"No, I'll eat just about anything. I'm not especially picky. Whatever you come up with will work for me."

"Alright. I'll see you then sir, and thank you again." The youth shut down his PADD and tucked it away. "Permission to depart sir?"

Jared tried not to smirk,"You don't really need my permission Wintrow, I'm not nearly that formal."

"But I am sir," Wintrow replied formally, still waiting for permission to leave.


OFF:

Cadet SO Wintrow Paragon
Support Craft Pilot
USS Galileo
[PNPC T'Vanna]

Lt. Jared Nicholas
Linguist
USS Galileo

RSS Feed

Comments (1)