The New Crewmember Lu
By Meria Kendel-Spencer M
He couldn't believe the new crewmember they had. They had been going through a void, an entire two weeks without stars, planets or any thing when they saw it. A massive starship. The U.S.S Prince. That was the weirdest name Harper had ever heard for a starship. The people on the ship said that they were from an army. They were only here for peaceful research, though. They had apparently been old members of the Commonwealth.
Major Meria Kendel-Spencer walked purposefully down the hallway. She couldn't believe she had just let that happen! Something in her snapped. She wiped a tear from her cheek. How could they do that? How could they talk that way?
It all started when she walked into the mess hall of the United Shazaar Starship Prince, the ship on which she was stationed. She had just been let off duty after pulling a double shift through the night. She was dirty, tired, sweaty and hungry. She didn't even bother to stop in her quarters to clean up. As she walked into the mess hall, the commotion that she heard from down the hallway stopped. Everyone was looking at her, including them.
Them was the cause off all the trouble in her life. Them was all the humility she had, the anger, the fear, all mixed with rage. They were Maelelia Knouk, Aina Loaknont and Shara Pecfoc. They were the snottiest, rudest and richest women in all of the Shazaaren home world. They had been handed their ranks on a golden platter. Men through themselves at them and they though it their duty to walk all over them. They were nothing like Meria. Nothing at all.
Meria was the daughter of a poor farmer. Though still, she was intelligent and the head of her class. But that didn't mean much in the real world on Shazaar. Past the arts. Past the culture. Past the loving families who don't want you to know how harsh it is. All her life she had worked for where she was. She deserved all of her achievements.
That first day at the United Armed Forces of Shazaar Military Academy, she was so exited she got there ten minutes early. They had walked in, whispering in each other's ears, and sat down. Meria got and to introduced herself. They gave her the most disgusted look and went back to their mindless babble.
That hurt Meria. She had tried to put her best foot forward and they refused her. She sat down and waited for someone else to come in. Next a boy and girl walked in. Meria got up and introduced herself to them. Before she could reach them, one of the girls stuck out her foot and tripped her. Luckily for Meria the boy and girl didn't think it funny. She got up, and with all the dignity she had left walked back over to them.
As Harper walked into the Hydroponics bay, he thought of what inventions he could make that would make him famous, make Trance like him, restore the Commonwealth, and get him a one-way ticket to Saraglio, baby! Ok, he realized, fantasies aside, it ain't gonna happen. So, moving right along from our moment of distraction in Seamus Harper's brain, he was going to tell Trance that Dylan wanted someone to cook dinner. Dylan had actually wanted him to cook, but come on! He had to keep up with ship maintenance and he had built Rommie! Wasn't that enough? Besides he couldn't cook for his life!
"Hey, Trance, Hon, Sparkly Purple Babe? Can you do me a favor? Dylan wanted me to cook tonight. I can't. You know, I've got diagnostics, repairs, plus I wanna record my thesis on flexi. Can you cook?" He didn't wait for her to answer.
"Thanks!" he said as he ran out the door.
Trance couldn't believe his nerve! How could he just waltz in there and tell her what to do like a pet monkey! Anyway, he was more closely related to a monkey. Oh, well. She would do it anyway. But the nerve. The nerve!
Harper ran all the way back to his quarters. He hoped she hadn't chased him. Though she did look cute when she was angry. Tail swishing behind her, nostrils flaring. He laughed art the thought of it.
Flexi? Trance thought. Flexi was more important than her? Or her plants? What about Walter? And his selfless sacrifice for science? Ok, so Harper had put him on the teleporter. That wasn't a sacrifice.
Harper did feel kinda sneaky though. After all, he had launched a frontal attack on her while she was working. Accent on the working.
The rest of Meria's life went rather smoothly. She got some commendations for academics and awards for her "selfless commitment to her community". It wasn't that she was a tree-hugger; it was just that no one else cared enough to do anything about it. "Selfless"? No, it was just that she was tired of everyone looking at her as "The poor, stuck-up teacher's pet".
Her first day on the U.S.S. Prince was an amazing one. Their captain was sympathetic, kind, and called about all the crew. Even Major Pecfoc, Loaknont and Knouk. That's right. They who had gotten their ranks straight out of the academy were just another of the 7,000 crewmembers on the ship.
Even though the captain was fair about treatment, the social class difference was still there. Meria wasn't happy about the fact that they were now her commanding officers, either. All day long, it was "Ensign Kendel-Spencer, get me this!" "Ensign Kendel-Spencer, comply!"
They completely used their powers for evil! Well, at least that was the way Meria saw it. That was another thing! Whenever Meria gave them readings, they always second-guessed her and had another officer check it! She was right 99.9% of the time! Hey, isn't everyone allowed to make one mistake?
It was all she could do not to ask to be put in the brig! The hate that they made Meria feel scared her. She prayed it to stop. She had never felt so confused since her father died. She had never wanted to feel that way again.
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By Meria Kendel-Spencer M
He couldn't believe the new crewmember they had. They had been going through a void, an entire two weeks without stars, planets or any thing when they saw it. A massive starship. The U.S.S Prince. That was the weirdest name Harper had ever heard for a starship. The people on the ship said that they were from an army. They were only here for peaceful research, though. They had apparently been old members of the Commonwealth.
Major Meria Kendel-Spencer walked purposefully down the hallway. She couldn't believe she had just let that happen! Something in her snapped. She wiped a tear from her cheek. How could they do that? How could they talk that way?
It all started when she walked into the mess hall of the United Shazaar Starship Prince, the ship on which she was stationed. She had just been let off duty after pulling a double shift through the night. She was dirty, tired, sweaty and hungry. She didn't even bother to stop in her quarters to clean up. As she walked into the mess hall, the commotion that she heard from down the hallway stopped. Everyone was looking at her, including them.
Them was the cause off all the trouble in her life. Them was all the humility she had, the anger, the fear, all mixed with rage. They were Maelelia Knouk, Aina Loaknont and Shara Pecfoc. They were the snottiest, rudest and richest women in all of the Shazaaren home world. They had been handed their ranks on a golden platter. Men through themselves at them and they though it their duty to walk all over them. They were nothing like Meria. Nothing at all.
Meria was the daughter of a poor farmer. Though still, she was intelligent and the head of her class. But that didn't mean much in the real world on Shazaar. Past the arts. Past the culture. Past the loving families who don't want you to know how harsh it is. All her life she had worked for where she was. She deserved all of her achievements.
That first day at the United Armed Forces of Shazaar Military Academy, she was so exited she got there ten minutes early. They had walked in, whispering in each other's ears, and sat down. Meria got and to introduced herself. They gave her the most disgusted look and went back to their mindless babble.
That hurt Meria. She had tried to put her best foot forward and they refused her. She sat down and waited for someone else to come in. Next a boy and girl walked in. Meria got up and introduced herself to them. Before she could reach them, one of the girls stuck out her foot and tripped her. Luckily for Meria the boy and girl didn't think it funny. She got up, and with all the dignity she had left walked back over to them.
As Harper walked into the Hydroponics bay, he thought of what inventions he could make that would make him famous, make Trance like him, restore the Commonwealth, and get him a one-way ticket to Saraglio, baby! Ok, he realized, fantasies aside, it ain't gonna happen. So, moving right along from our moment of distraction in Seamus Harper's brain, he was going to tell Trance that Dylan wanted someone to cook dinner. Dylan had actually wanted him to cook, but come on! He had to keep up with ship maintenance and he had built Rommie! Wasn't that enough? Besides he couldn't cook for his life!
"Hey, Trance, Hon, Sparkly Purple Babe? Can you do me a favor? Dylan wanted me to cook tonight. I can't. You know, I've got diagnostics, repairs, plus I wanna record my thesis on flexi. Can you cook?" He didn't wait for her to answer.
"Thanks!" he said as he ran out the door.
Trance couldn't believe his nerve! How could he just waltz in there and tell her what to do like a pet monkey! Anyway, he was more closely related to a monkey. Oh, well. She would do it anyway. But the nerve. The nerve!
Harper ran all the way back to his quarters. He hoped she hadn't chased him. Though she did look cute when she was angry. Tail swishing behind her, nostrils flaring. He laughed art the thought of it.
Flexi? Trance thought. Flexi was more important than her? Or her plants? What about Walter? And his selfless sacrifice for science? Ok, so Harper had put him on the teleporter. That wasn't a sacrifice.
Harper did feel kinda sneaky though. After all, he had launched a frontal attack on her while she was working. Accent on the working.
The rest of Meria's life went rather smoothly. She got some commendations for academics and awards for her "selfless commitment to her community". It wasn't that she was a tree-hugger; it was just that no one else cared enough to do anything about it. "Selfless"? No, it was just that she was tired of everyone looking at her as "The poor, stuck-up teacher's pet".
Her first day on the U.S.S. Prince was an amazing one. Their captain was sympathetic, kind, and called about all the crew. Even Major Pecfoc, Loaknont and Knouk. That's right. They who had gotten their ranks straight out of the academy were just another of the 7,000 crewmembers on the ship.
Even though the captain was fair about treatment, the social class difference was still there. Meria wasn't happy about the fact that they were now her commanding officers, either. All day long, it was "Ensign Kendel-Spencer, get me this!" "Ensign Kendel-Spencer, comply!"
They completely used their powers for evil! Well, at least that was the way Meria saw it. That was another thing! Whenever Meria gave them readings, they always second-guessed her and had another officer check it! She was right 99.9% of the time! Hey, isn't everyone allowed to make one mistake?
It was all she could do not to ask to be put in the brig! The hate that they made Meria feel scared her. She prayed it to stop. She had never felt so confused since her father died. She had never wanted to feel that way again.
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