Trip
I was born on Earth and raised by two loving parents, Beth and Charles Tucker Jr. When I was still a young boy Earth was in a state of great change. Zefram Cochrane had flown his warp drive mission and provoked first contact with the Vulcans only fifty some years earlier, not to mention World War 3 where my great-grandfather had died defending what little home my family had left.
I started tinkering with engines, radios, and basically any electronic device I could get my hands on when I was a teenager. However, the last thing I wanted was to attend Starfleet Academy. Back then, Starfleet was extremely prestigious. You had to be top of your class in everything, be able to do thousands of physical tasks (like desert survival), all on top of passing the entrance exam with a perfect score. Nowadays, it is still as competitive but parents are grooming their children for every task needed for Starfleet.
My father had a huge smile on his face when he handed me the application. And, of course, I being such a damn stupid kid gave him a scow. "I'm not going there!" I yelled.
I had meant it at the time. I had decided that I wanted to continue work on my own warp engine, which I had been building from scratch for the past few years, and marry Mary Jane, the cutest "girl-next-door" I had ever seen. Those were my only two loves at the time: engineering and Mary Jane. Unfortunately only one stuck with me. Mary Jane dumped me the second she heard I wasn't applying to Star Fleet. "I need a life of adventure." She had said.
So, I worked full time repairing air cars and other odds and ends around my town. It wasn't much but it gave me enough to continue on my warp drive. When a year finally passed, I was nearly broke, living out of my car, and starting to rely on the bottle for comfort. In those lonely nights is when I began to have a continuing dream.
I was on the beach, but I was not a beach I had ever seen before. The sand was pure white and the water was green, but not dirty at all, the exact opposite, clear as crystal. Usually the dream starts with me waling along the beach, just being there. And then she shows up. If you looked up a picture of the perfect body, it would be of her. Her red dress was lined around her body; snug at all the right places. She had soft brown hair that cascaded down her bare back. And if all of that wasn't good enough, she had electrifying violet eyes, but they were just violet, not other color in her pupils.
When I first had the dream I didn't know if I should say anything to her so I didn't. She walked up to me and took my hand. She pulled me down to join her sitting on the sand. That first time, she didn't speak either. We just stared at each other and believe me that was just fine.
Every night for the next month we seemed to have a set date in my dreams. Never anything extravagant, just her, me and the beach. She was never late, showing up the second I fell asleep. We would just lie out on the beach in each other's arms. It was the best relationship I had ever had.
The day I first talked to her was exceptional for more than just our deepening our relationship with words. I had finally worked around my problem with some power fluxuations with my warp drive and perfected it to the best of my abilities. It was just beautiful. The only thing I wanted to do was build a cockpit around it and shoot up into space. I was so giddy that I almost forgot that I had to go to Mr. Alan, one of my former teacher's place to fix his air car. I was working at full speed when my father came by. I thought it was a friendly social visit until I saw the Academy application in his hands.
"Ambushing me at work now?" I asked throwing a wrench into my toolbox.
"Charlie, this came in the mail for you. Don't you see? They want you. There is a letter attached from Henry Archer, one of the scientist from the Warp Five Program saying that the Academy had heard of your engineering abilities." My father said.
I didn't say anything; I didn't know what to say.
My father held the application to me. "Charlie, you have such great talent and I know that you want to go up there."
I took the application and shoved it into my back pocket. "Will you leave now?" And he did.
That night I spent hours just reading over the application and the personalized letter that came with it. My dad was telling the truth. The letter was all about how they are looking for engineers and I was high on their list. I went outside and stared up at the stars. I did want to go up there but I still couldn't see Starfleet as the right way. Uniforms, orders, I didn't think I could do it. What I really needed was to talk this through with someone, but I didn't have anyone, except her…
That night once I had fallen asleep I awoke on the beach. She was there already staring out to the sea. I hesitated for at first but after a while, I had to speak.
"I know this is one of those moments when speaking is kind of a bad idea but I need to talk about something and you're…all I have." I blurted out.
She looked over at me and smiled. "I'm flattered."
Her voice was like sweet music to my ears.
"Well, I love to build things. Engineering is great. I actually built my own warp engine. The only thing I love more than engineering is the idea of exploring space. My father- hell, my whole family wants me to join Starfleet Academy. It's this school that teaches people about going up in space but they don't even know if they ever will go up into space." I stopped to catch my breath.
"What do you fell when you look up at the stars?" She asked.
"Like I should be up there." I said.
"Will you get up there by yourself?"
I looked towards the unending ocean. "Probably not."
"My father once told me that he always had this…urge to do certain things. Every time he felt the urge he would do it and it always turned out right for him. Your urge is telling you to go to the stars and if this Academy is your only chance than who cars if you have to wear a uniform or follow orders. You'll be with the stars."
I didn't remember ever mentioning uniforms or orders, but it never struck me then. I just looked back at her and kissed her. She looked as surprised as I did when I pulled back.
"I'm Charles Tucker III, but everyone calls me Trip." I said stroking her cheek.
"Alysiana."
I smiled. "It's nice to finally talk to you, Alysiana."
She smiled back at me and I knew that I was in love; unfortunately she was still just my dream girl.
I was born on Earth and raised by two loving parents, Beth and Charles Tucker Jr. When I was still a young boy Earth was in a state of great change. Zefram Cochrane had flown his warp drive mission and provoked first contact with the Vulcans only fifty some years earlier, not to mention World War 3 where my great-grandfather had died defending what little home my family had left.
I started tinkering with engines, radios, and basically any electronic device I could get my hands on when I was a teenager. However, the last thing I wanted was to attend Starfleet Academy. Back then, Starfleet was extremely prestigious. You had to be top of your class in everything, be able to do thousands of physical tasks (like desert survival), all on top of passing the entrance exam with a perfect score. Nowadays, it is still as competitive but parents are grooming their children for every task needed for Starfleet.
My father had a huge smile on his face when he handed me the application. And, of course, I being such a damn stupid kid gave him a scow. "I'm not going there!" I yelled.
I had meant it at the time. I had decided that I wanted to continue work on my own warp engine, which I had been building from scratch for the past few years, and marry Mary Jane, the cutest "girl-next-door" I had ever seen. Those were my only two loves at the time: engineering and Mary Jane. Unfortunately only one stuck with me. Mary Jane dumped me the second she heard I wasn't applying to Star Fleet. "I need a life of adventure." She had said.
So, I worked full time repairing air cars and other odds and ends around my town. It wasn't much but it gave me enough to continue on my warp drive. When a year finally passed, I was nearly broke, living out of my car, and starting to rely on the bottle for comfort. In those lonely nights is when I began to have a continuing dream.
I was on the beach, but I was not a beach I had ever seen before. The sand was pure white and the water was green, but not dirty at all, the exact opposite, clear as crystal. Usually the dream starts with me waling along the beach, just being there. And then she shows up. If you looked up a picture of the perfect body, it would be of her. Her red dress was lined around her body; snug at all the right places. She had soft brown hair that cascaded down her bare back. And if all of that wasn't good enough, she had electrifying violet eyes, but they were just violet, not other color in her pupils.
When I first had the dream I didn't know if I should say anything to her so I didn't. She walked up to me and took my hand. She pulled me down to join her sitting on the sand. That first time, she didn't speak either. We just stared at each other and believe me that was just fine.
Every night for the next month we seemed to have a set date in my dreams. Never anything extravagant, just her, me and the beach. She was never late, showing up the second I fell asleep. We would just lie out on the beach in each other's arms. It was the best relationship I had ever had.
The day I first talked to her was exceptional for more than just our deepening our relationship with words. I had finally worked around my problem with some power fluxuations with my warp drive and perfected it to the best of my abilities. It was just beautiful. The only thing I wanted to do was build a cockpit around it and shoot up into space. I was so giddy that I almost forgot that I had to go to Mr. Alan, one of my former teacher's place to fix his air car. I was working at full speed when my father came by. I thought it was a friendly social visit until I saw the Academy application in his hands.
"Ambushing me at work now?" I asked throwing a wrench into my toolbox.
"Charlie, this came in the mail for you. Don't you see? They want you. There is a letter attached from Henry Archer, one of the scientist from the Warp Five Program saying that the Academy had heard of your engineering abilities." My father said.
I didn't say anything; I didn't know what to say.
My father held the application to me. "Charlie, you have such great talent and I know that you want to go up there."
I took the application and shoved it into my back pocket. "Will you leave now?" And he did.
That night I spent hours just reading over the application and the personalized letter that came with it. My dad was telling the truth. The letter was all about how they are looking for engineers and I was high on their list. I went outside and stared up at the stars. I did want to go up there but I still couldn't see Starfleet as the right way. Uniforms, orders, I didn't think I could do it. What I really needed was to talk this through with someone, but I didn't have anyone, except her…
That night once I had fallen asleep I awoke on the beach. She was there already staring out to the sea. I hesitated for at first but after a while, I had to speak.
"I know this is one of those moments when speaking is kind of a bad idea but I need to talk about something and you're…all I have." I blurted out.
She looked over at me and smiled. "I'm flattered."
Her voice was like sweet music to my ears.
"Well, I love to build things. Engineering is great. I actually built my own warp engine. The only thing I love more than engineering is the idea of exploring space. My father- hell, my whole family wants me to join Starfleet Academy. It's this school that teaches people about going up in space but they don't even know if they ever will go up into space." I stopped to catch my breath.
"What do you fell when you look up at the stars?" She asked.
"Like I should be up there." I said.
"Will you get up there by yourself?"
I looked towards the unending ocean. "Probably not."
"My father once told me that he always had this…urge to do certain things. Every time he felt the urge he would do it and it always turned out right for him. Your urge is telling you to go to the stars and if this Academy is your only chance than who cars if you have to wear a uniform or follow orders. You'll be with the stars."
I didn't remember ever mentioning uniforms or orders, but it never struck me then. I just looked back at her and kissed her. She looked as surprised as I did when I pulled back.
"I'm Charles Tucker III, but everyone calls me Trip." I said stroking her cheek.
"Alysiana."
I smiled. "It's nice to finally talk to you, Alysiana."
She smiled back at me and I knew that I was in love; unfortunately she was still just my dream girl.