San Francisco
Stardate 2252
The small room was painted a light blue, so light it was almost indistinguishable from the white trim around the door and windows. It was supposed to be a child's room but it was quite obvious no child lived her, a twin bed was pushed up against the wall were it had been moved from the other side of the room so that its occupant could see the night sky- there were still marks on the floor from when she'd pushed it across the w wooden floor. The bed was neatly made its crisp white sheets tucked cleanly into the sides of the bed however that was the only thing neat about the room.
The small room looked as though a hurricane had recently visited and left every item imaginable strewn across the room. Papers and clothes were scattered in remote plies around the room and a large suitcase in the middle of the floor was halfway packed with items of clothing and personal belongings of the room's inhabitants.
Said inhabitant was currently lying halfway on her bed. Her legs dangled off while her arms covered her head so she could not see the mural of space painted above her. The usually calming swirl of blues and purples, stars, planets and ever consivable aspect of the cosmos that formed her ceiling was doing nothing to calm the teenage rage that roiled within her. Said rage was the cause of the strewn items as she had angrily tossed her clothing about in a half assed attempt to unpack the neatly folded suitcase.
The apartment in which the girl lived was small, two bedrooms one bath and a living space that had a small closet like room that was supposed to be the kitchen. The size of her mothers home had never bothered her but it did make it hard for anything to happen in the house without her hearing it. That being said she heard the nock come to the door and her mother open it quite clearly.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes Ma'am my name is Admiral Alexander Marcus and I am here to speak with you and your daughter"
The girl in the small blue bedroom sat up at this. Rubbing her tear stained face to try and get rid of any redness left over from her early screaming match before standing up and pushing away from the bed quickly. Carefully she navigated the clothes strewn floor to the door.
This was in truth a rather… well this couldn't have happened at a worse time. Lena knew that name, her mother knew that name- and the mans occupation was exactly the cause of argument she had her mother had recently engaged in. Well the cause of many arguments over the past few months. The closer Lena got to being able to make her own decisions the worse the arguments got.
"What is this about?" She could hear her mother ask with more anger and indignation then most would think the small woman capable of. Lena opened the door a crack and peered out into the main room were she could see her mother standing in the open door her hands on her hips and a tall man standing respectfully a few feet outside the entry.
"May I come in Ms Weyer?" He said and her mother turned to her daughter in the hallway her dark eyes flashing a clear sign they were not finished with their previous conversation, she obviously had made her own assumptions as to why Admiral Marcus was here. After sending the look to her daughter she turned nodding once and allowing the man who had introduced himself as Admiral Alexander Marcus into the room.
He stepped in and in the same motion removed his hat. He was warring a grey uniform with the arrow like logo of Starfleet on his breast, a Starfleet Admiral in her home Lena could hardly contain her excitement as she stepped out into the hall her eyes wide with awe. Admiral Marcus smiled at her and extended a hand.
"Celleena S'Llaura Weyer" He greeted using her whole name and bring a small grimace to her face, she was not a fan of the Romulan names her mother had given her.
"Yes sir?"
"Please call me Marcus, I am hear to discus your application for the Starfleet Academy-"
"My daughter did not submit an application to Starfleet." Her mother said in a quite tone but gestured for them to take a seat at the dining table. It was crowded with college work that Lena had been working on, the gangly teen dashed forwards to sweep the papers up into a stalk and then deposit them in a pile on the floor.
"No. No she did not submit a formal application however due to her expressed interest in joining Starfleet we where surprised when we did not receive your application."
"I-"
Admiral Marcus did not let her interject before he continued
"You see we have been tracking your progress for a while now Miss Weyer, graduated high school at the age of sixteen and a year later you are already an outstanding student in not only your Physical science classes but virtually every other class you are taking this semester." He pulled out a file from under his arm. Neither Lena nor her mother had noticed it before and set it on the table before continuing to speak. "Your teachers have regarded you as a genius Miss Weyer"
Lena ducked her head a small flash of red colouring her cheeks. She had clearly heard this before and yet was still not used to taking the compliment.
"I wouldn't say that Admiral-"
"I would. I whole-heartedly agree with them. Which is why I was very surprised when I did not see your name in the application pool."
"I decided that Starfleet wasn't the right thing for me Admiral" She stuttered clearly trying to believe the words she was saying as they left her mouth. Trying and failing terribly. In truth her mother had decided that Lena would be the one staying on earth- she had very strict ideas of her daughter's future.
"And yet each time you have been asked about future career you have answered Starfleet." Marcus opened the file to reveal a picture of her and the first page of information-, which held records from school of her dreams and aspirations. She could see the first time she'd answered the question, part of an interview when she was beginning elementary school. "You are one of the great minds of this time Miss Weyer and you chose to leave the possibility of furthering humanity for a desk job on earth?"
Lena opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it. She didn't want to answer the man; she didn't want to lie again. Her mother took the time to interject.
"My daughter has made her decision Admiral Marcus and with all due respect you have no right to come in here and act like you know what my child wants!"
A silence fell over the room and it was clear Laurena Weyer would have no more of this conversation. Marcus let out a sigh but did not protest.
"Very well, excuse my intrusion Ms Weyer" He said getting up from the table and taking the file with him. He tucked the file under his arm and nodded to the two Weyer women before turning to exit the apartment. Lena followed him to the door and as he got to the doorway he stopped and turned to the teen handing her a small card.
"Should you change your mind Miss Weyer" He said with a small wink and then was gone. Clearly he knew that the decision of her mother would not last long for the young girl. Lena slipped the card into her pocket and then closed the door her head reeling.
Admiral Marcus of Starfleet had been in her apartment- in her apartment and her mother had kicked him out. One of her heroes had just slipped through her grasp and she hadn't the backbone to say more then a few well-rehearsed sentences to him.
Lena turned to her mother her mouth open to say something but there was a look in her eyes that stopped Lena cold. Her mother was still sitting in the seat watching the space where the Admiral had been sitting less then a minute ago.
"Mom-"
"Never take anything at face value Lena you- oh never mind." She stood and pushed the chair back away from the table rather abruptly. "This doesn't change anything Lena, it's just a silly dream Lena a childhood obsession. Its time you grow up" Her words cut Lena to the core as she grabbed onto the door frame hiding the card from her mothers view, she didn't need another thing to fight about. Not when her mother was in this state. "Leave that dream behind Lena. It's not going to do you any good. You're a smart girl you'll figure out what you really want to do."
"This is what I want-"
"No Lena it is not. You only get one chance at life. Don't waste it."
Don't waste it Lena watched as her mother stood and got up for the table, She walked to the door. "Now I'm late for lunch with Jayne, I'll be back in a few hours and when I am I expect your room to be clean" She brushed past Lena and grabbed her coat- even though they had lived in San Francisco for all of Lena's life her mother had never gotten used to the cold. She didn't waste time saying goodbye as she opened the door and left.
Don't waste it
Her mother had just given her what she needed to make her decision.
The girls mind was set- the moment the door closed she was all but running to her room. She threw herself down onto the floor grabbing all of the clothes that she had discarded hours earlier and folded them neatly into the case. It took little time to once again pack the business card on the floor, when the bag was packed she picked it up again.
Admiral Alexander Marcus
Starfleet
Under the name was what she couldn't only guess was his address within Starfleet headquarters but in large legible scrawl under that was a phone number. She smiled as she pulled out her own device and opened it her fingers flying across the keys.
It hadn't wrong for more then a second when the line opened.
"Miss Weyer I presume"
"Yes Admiral"
"Have you reconsidered joining Starfleet?" He asked already knowing the answer, she wasn't reconsidering and he knew that.
"Yes Sir."
She could hear the grin n his voice when he answered her "I am happy to hear that Miss Weyer. I will have a car sent to pick you up tomorrow morning at 0300 your enrolment will begin immediately." He paused for a second and she rose from the floor going to the window to look out. "We are going to do great things Miss Weyer, great things."